Eli Lilly switches to Alchemab to add another AI-discovered ALS drug prospect
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has been a difficult area for drug research, but Eli Lilly has spread bets in this neurodegenerative disease by reaching agreements with other companies. The pharmaceutical giant has added its stable ALS candidate through a licensing agreement that puts a new type of antibody on track to begin testing in humans.
Eli Lilly is licenseing Alchemab’s ATLX-1282, an antibody that says brings a first class of methods to ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, according to the terms of the deal announced Tuesday. No specific financial details were disclosed, but Eli Lilly committed to its partners $415 million, including upfront payments and milestone payments.
England-based Alchemab discovers and develops drugs through platform technology that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze human immune responses. The technology then identifies antibodies related to the elasticity of diseases in the fields of neurodegeneration, immunology, oncology, and healthy aging. The company said it has sequenced and analyzed millions of antibody sequences to reveal novel targets and antibodies with unique mechanisms of action.
Alchemab noted on its website that the ATLX-1282 is targeted at UNC5C. Abnormal expression of this gene is associated with neurodegenerative diseases. ATLX-1282 is an identification of important targets in neuroprotection, covering a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Alchemab’s internal pipeline includes preclinical programs for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington and muscle atrophy.
Under the terms of the ATLX-1282 agreement, Alchemab is responsible for advancing antibodies through phase 1 testing. If the drug reaches the market, Eli Lilly will lead further clinical development and potential commercialization. Eli Lilly agreed to pay royalties for the sale of approved drugs. The two companies began working together in January to reach an agreement to develop five ALS drugs from drug discovery technologies from startups. The pharmaceutical giant paid unspecified advance payments and agreed to additional milestone payments.
“With Lilly’s deep expertise in neurological diseases, they can ideally promote ATLX-1282 quickly through the clinic and help patients to the greatest extent possible,” Alchemab CEO Jane Osbourn said in a prepared statement.
Lilly’s neurodegenerative product portfolio is anchored by Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla, which was approved by the FDA last July. The antibody drug was found and developed internally within Eli Lilly. In ALS, the drug giant looks to the outside world for drug prospects. Last June, Lilly obtained global rights to QRL-204, an antisense oligonucleotide designed to restore UNC13A function in ALS, frontal dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. Lilly paid $45 million in advance for preclinical drug candidates as well as stock investments. Quralis could receive milestone payments of up to $577 million.
Verge Genomics is another ALS research partner. In 2021, Eli Lilly agreed to pay $25 million to start aligning with the startup, which used AI to analyze its human brain tissue database to identify potential drug targets. Lilly is also a participant in Biotech’s $98 million Series B financing and an investor in Verge. Last fall, Verge announced that Lilly chose to develop drugs against two undisclosed ALS targets identified and validated by the startup’s technology. The move sparked milestone payments, although Verge did not disclose much.
Public domain image of flickr user scitechtrend
