By Fineline Cube 
US-based Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) announced a global licensing and multi-target research collaboration with compatriot firm Juvena Therapeutics. The partnership aims to discover, develop, and commercialize drug candidates focused on improving muscle health and body composition.
Collaboration Details
Under the agreement, Juvena Therapeutics will receive an upfront payment, equity investment, and potential development and commercialization milestone payments totaling up to USD 650 million. Eli Lilly gains exclusive rights to Juvena’s lead candidate pipeline and will oversee further research, development, and commercialization efforts.
JuvNET AI Platform
The collaboration will leverage Juvena’s JuvNET, the world’s first fully integrated AI screening platform. JuvNET will be used to map the therapeutic potential of Juvena’s stem cell-secreted proteins. The focus will be on identifying muscle-targeting drug candidates from Juvena’s proprietary library of human stem cell-secreted proteins.
Therapeutic Goals
The primary goal of the partnership is to develop novel therapies for body composition enhancement and muscle health optimization. This initiative highlights Eli Lilly’s commitment to advancing treatments in the field of muscle health through innovative AI-driven drug discovery.-Fineline Info & Tech