Lilly signs Metis TechBio deal worth up to $1.1 billion for AI-designed drug-delivery lipids

Eli Lilly has struck a partnership with Hong Kong-based Metis TechBio worth up to $1.1 billion, giving the drugmaker access to an artificial-intelligence platform for designing and optimizing ionizable lipids used in lipid nanoparticle drug delivery.

The collaboration centers on AiLNP, which Metis describes as a platform combining a lipid library, screening and a lipid language model. The company says the system is intended to identify particles that target tissue more effectively and shorten the path from computer-based design to testing in living systems. The announcement does not report results from a Lilly-led validation or clinical study.

Metis is due to receive an upfront payment in the low double-digit millions of dollars. The company may also receive milestone payments and royalties on products arising from the collaboration; the $1.1 billion headline value is a potential total, not an upfront commitment.

The agreement adds to Lilly’s recent efforts to expand its drug-delivery capabilities. The company has entered partnerships with QurCan Therapeutics and Entos Pharmaceuticals on delivery technologies, as well as work with the University of Texas at Austin on lipid nanoparticle stability and performance. Lilly has also acquired Verve Therapeutics and Engage Biologics, companies with genetic-medicine delivery technologies, according to Fierce Biotech.

The deal also fits Lilly’s broader investment in AI and computing, including work with Nvidia and a partnership with AI drug-discovery company Insilico Medicine. Metis traces its origins to an idea from MIT in 2017 and raised $86 million in a 2021 Series A round, Fierce Biotech reported.