Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company powered by generative AI, and Qilu Pharmaceutical Group, a major comprehensive modern pharmaceutical enterprise in China, as well as its subsidiary Shanghai Qilu Pharmaceutical Research Center, announced a strategic partnership on innovative drug development, leveraging Insilico's proprietary Pharma.AI platform to jointly develop small molecule inhibitors, focusing on specific targets for cardiometabolic disease management.

According to the agreement, Insilico Medicine will utilize its proprietary Pharma.AI platform to focus on the design and optimization of novel small molecules for treating metabolic diseases, while Qilu Pharmaceutical Group will be responsible for subsequent development and commercialization procedures. The total contract value approaches $120 million, including development and commercialization milestone payments, as well as single-digit royalties based on net sales.

Weikang Tao, PhD, Board Member, Group VP & Head of Global R&D, Qilu Pharmaceutical Group said, "As a leading pharmaceutical company in China, Qilu has always attached great importance to the quick advancement of AI technology, in particular, the application of AI in drug R&D and its potential. Insilico is a well-known biotech in AI-powered drug R&D with advanced AI technology and application capabilities. This collaboration marks a deepening of our partnership, evolving from initial software licensing to in-depth, R&D collaboration. We look forward to the smooth progress of this innovative drug discovery and development project through the synergy of Qilu's extensive R&D experience and capabilities and Insilico's advanced AI platform and expertise, thereby to address unmet medical needs and to bring new hope to patients worldwide."

Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Business Officer of Insilico Medicine said, "We are pleased to see Insilico Medicine and Qilu Pharmaceutical further deepen their strategic collaboration driven by generative AI. Recently, Insilico Medicine unveiled its proprietary cardiometabolic portfolio at the BIO-Europe conference, covering 8 drug candidates ranging from hit to IND-enabling stage, all driven by Pharma.AI in their development process. I believe that strategies targeting cardiometabolic diseases have the potential to generate the first drugs to achieve large-scale healthspan extension, and I look forward to AI technology accelerating innovation in the field and maximizing potential."

Based on drug discovery and development, software solution licensing, and innovative expansion beyond drug development, Insilico Medicine continues to validate its diversified business model, securing software licensing agreements with 13 of the world's top 20 multinational pharmaceutical companies, establishing research collaborations with upfront payments of tens of millions of dollars with Fosun Pharma and Sanofi; and reaching pipeline out-licensing deals with Exelixis and Menarini Group, with total transaction values exceeding $2 billion. Notably, Qilu Pharmaceutical first started using PandaOmics in 2021, thus leading to the near $120 million collaboration today, which will further deepen the empowering role of the artificial intelligence platform and drive innovative therapy development with even higher efficiency.

In 2016, Insilico first described the concept of using generative AI for the design of novel molecules in a peer-reviewed journal, which laid the foundation for the commercially available Pharma.AI platform. Since then, Insilico keeps integrating technical breakthroughs into Pharma.AI platform, which is currently a generative AI-powered solution spanning across biology, chemistry, medicine development and science research. Powered by Pharma.AI, Insilico has nominated 22 developmental/preclinical candidates (DC/PCC) in its comprehensive portfolio of over 30 assets since 2021, with the most advanced candidate Rentosertib achieving positive results in Phase IIa clinical trials, achieving the first proof-of-concept for AI-driven drug development in the clinical stage.