Lila Biologics Announces Collaboration with Lilly For Radioligand Therapy Discovery and Development

Biotech Company Introduces Protein Therapeutics Platforms to Combat Cancer and Non-Oncology Diseases September 04, 2025 09:00 ET | Source: Lila Biologics Seattle, WA, Sept. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lila Biologics (“Lila”), an AI/ML-driven protein therapeutics biotech company, today announced a global licensing and multi-target research collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company (“Lilly”) focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel radioligand therapies (RLTs) for imaging and treatment of solid tumors. Lila also announced the launch of its two protein therapeutic platforms, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), to combat cancer and non-oncology diseases. Lila’s targeted radiotherapy (TRT)/oncology platform for solid tumors and long-acting injectables (LAI) platform for non-oncology conditions are utilizing Lila’s proprietary AI/ML-powered protein design engine to create the foundation for new drug discovery and breakthrough treatments for patients. “We are on a mission to transform patient care by harnessing machine learning-powered protein design and advanced technologies to deliver life-changing therapies to patients,” said Jake Kraft, CEO and co-founder of Lila Biologics. “Lila’s core technology goes beyond ML-enabled design of high-affinity binders, and we’ve fine-tuned our engine to deliver precision targeted proteins with optimized drug-like properties that have the potential to unlock a new generation of treatments that dramatically improve patients’ quality of life and extend survival time.” Lila, spun out of Nobel Laureate David Baker’s lab at the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design, was co-founded by Anindya Roy (CSO) and Jake Kraft, who together bring over two decades of protein design and engineering, pharmacokinetics, and translational science expertise. This work contributed to the breakthrough technology of AI/ML-powered design of drug-like proteins that forms the foundation of the company's proprietary platforms, which can optimize transformative mono- and multi-specific protein therapeutics to address unmet patient needs. More specifically, Lila’s proprietary LILADD™ “design-to-development candidate” framework rapidly discovers and optimizes the functionality, manufacturability, and developability of protein-based biologics with first- or best-in-class potential. “It is truly rewarding to foster the scientific research and mentor the next entrepreneurs that will change the world,” said David Baker, 2024 Nobel laureate in chemistry, professor of biochemistry, and director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design. “With a world-class team and holistic approach to ML-driven protein design in place, Lila Biologics is uniquely suited to advance a new class of tumor-targeted radiotherapies and LAI medicines toward the clinic.” Lila’s TRT platform will be utilized in its collaboration with Lilly to generate novel tumor-targeting radiopharmaceuticals. Together, the two companies aim to achieve the discovery, development, and commercialization of new radioligand therapies (RTLs). As part of the collaboration, Lila will design precision-targeted proteins for radioligand therapy and plans to undertake program discovery through development candidate selection. Lilly will focus on IND-enabling studies, global clinical development, and commercialization. Lila will retain full asset rights to its current proprietary RLT and LAI pipelines, separate from the tumor-targeted radiotherapies they collaborate with Lilly on. “Lila is pioneering a new drug modality and the next generation of biologics with their unique ability to leverage AI and machine learning to design targeted proteins that have drug-like properties built in,” said Sheila Gujrathi, MD, Chairwoman of the Board at Lila, and distinguished biotech entrepreneur and leader. “The impressive progress the team has made in developing robust TRT and LAI platforms in just two years, coupled with their collaboration with Lilly, shows great promise for the future of developing meaningful medicines that will have a positive impact on cancer treatments and beyond.” For more information about Lila and its TRT and LAI platforms, please visit: https://www.lila.bio/ About Lila BiologicsLila Biologics is a biotech company whose mission is to transform patient care by harnessing AI/ML-powered generative protein design and advanced technologies to deliver life-changing therapies to those in need. Lila’s Targeted RadioTherapy (TRT)/Oncology platform is for solid tumor indications, and Lila’s Long-Acting Injectables (LAI) platform is for non-oncology diseases. Founded in late 2023, Lila spun out of Nobel Laureate David Baker’s lab at the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design and is headquartered in the vibrant South Lake Union area of Seattle, WA. Contact Data Collin Young Lila Biologics collin@jones-dilworth.com

Lila Biologics Announces Collaboration with Lilly For Radioligand Therapy Discovery and Development

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