Lilly taps Creyon’s AI-enabled oligo tech in heavily backloaded $1B deal

Title

Eli Lilly Partners with Creyon Bio in $1B AI-Driven Oligonucleotide Therapy Deal

Eli Lilly has announced a global licensing and multi-target research collaboration with Creyon Bio to develop RNA-targeted oligonucleotide (oligo) therapies addressing a broad spectrum of diseases2 4.
Creyon Bio will leverage its industry-first AI-powered Oligo Engineering Engine, which uses quantum chemistry principles to design and optimize therapeutic oligonucleotides, claiming to accelerate and improve upon traditional nucleic acid drug development by moving beyond trial-and-error methods2 4.
Oligonucleotides are short strands of synthetic DNA or RNA capable of reducing, restoring, or modulating RNA activity, thereby enabling gene-centric interventions for various medical conditions1 4.
Under the deal, Creyon will receive $13 million upfront, a sum that includes both cash and equity investment by Lilly. The agreement is heavily backloaded, with Creyon eligible for up to $1 billion in development and commercialization milestone payments if specified goals are met1 3 5.
The partnership gives Eli Lilly exclusive licenses to lead candidates for its selected targets but has not disclosed specific disease areas or the exact number of drug candidates involved1.
This collaboration marks a significant step for Creyon, which debuted in 2022, and enhances Lilly’s ongoing efforts to leverage AI and novel technologies in drug discovery1 2.