Alchemab Therapeutics and Eli Lilly and Company
Type: Research and development agreement
Company: Alchemab Therapeutics
Collaboration Partner Company: Eli Lilly and Company
Focus: Alchemab's antibody discovery platform to identify new treatment candidates for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Financial impact: Eli Lilly expanded its ALS pipeline by partnering with Alchemab Therapeutics to develop antibody-based therapies using AI-driven insights from disease-resilient individuals, following its earlier deal with QurAlis.
Alchemab Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on harnessing naturally occurring therapeutic antibodies from resilient individuals, has entered into a research collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company to identify new treatment candidates for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [SS1] (ALS). Alchemab’s platform leverages biological samples from patients who exhibit unusually slow disease progression to uncover antibodies linked to resilience. Through this partnership, Alchemab and Lilly will work together to discover, develop, and potentially commercialize up to five novel therapeutic candidates. Under the terms of the agreement, Alchemab will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible for milestone payments tied to discovery, development, and commercialization, as well as royalties on future product sales. This partnership aligns with Lilly's broader efforts in ALS drug development, including its previous $45 million deal with QurAlis in late 2024.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a rare neurological disease that affects motor neurons—those nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. As motor neurons degenerate and die, they stop sending messages to the muscles, which causes the muscles to weaken, start to twitch (fasciculations), and waste away (atrophy). Eventually, the brain loses its ability to initiate and control voluntary movements. Some of the symptoms involved with the disease include muscle twitching and cramps, tight and stiff muscles (spasticity) with weakness affecting an arm, a leg, the neck, or diaphragm and slurred/nasal speech. The patients may also develop problems with language or decision-making along with dementia over time.
Geographical distribution of all ALS drugs
Fig 11: Distribution by country of ALS drugs
Global ALS drug distribution analysis
As per the 2017 CDC data, over 31,000 people are living with ALS in the United States. Approximately 5,000 individuals are diagnosed with ALS annually in America. This may explain why the USA is leading the market when it comes to the number of ALS drug development programmes over the years.
Alchemab's antibody discovery platform
Alchemab’s antibody discovery platform is designed to identify naturally occurring antibodies from individuals who demonstrate resilience to disease. By analyzing patient samples—especially from those with unusually slow disease progression or extended survival—the platform uncovers protective immune responses that may hold therapeutic potential. Leveraging advanced analytical tools and artificial intelligence, the platform examines B-cell repertoires to pinpoint antibodies commonly found in resilient individuals but lacking in those with more typical disease progression.
Market Impact of This Partnership
Eli Lilly had already initiated efforts to build a pipeline in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) before partnering with Alchemab Therapeutics. The collaboration with Alchemab marked Lilly’s second ALS-related deal in a matter of months, following the in-licensing of QRL-204—a splice-switching antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) from QurAlis—approximately seven months earlier. These moves signal Lilly’s strategic entry into the ALS space, despite a challenging environment marked by recent high-profile clinical trial setbacks. Under the agreement with Alchemab, the two companies will collaborate on the discovery and development of up to five antibody-based therapeutic candidates. Alchemab’s platform is uniquely focused on identifying naturally occurring, disease-resilient antibodies by leveraging what it refers to as “Nature’s most effective search engine”—the adaptive immune system.
“Eli Lilly's revenue is expected to grow following its partnership with Alchemab Therapeutics, though the exact impact remains uncertain.”
This approach starts with identifying individuals who show exceptional resilience to disease, such as those with slow-progressing neurodegenerative disorders or long-term cancer survival. B cells from these individuals are sequenced, producing billions of antibody sequences. These data are then analyzed using Alchemab’s AI-powered discovery engine, which applies machine learning and data-mining techniques to detect patterns and converge on protective antibodies shared across resilient populations. The targets of these antibodies are then studied to understand their role in disease protection, guiding the development of therapeutic candidates designed to reproduce these effects in broader patient populations. Eli Lilly is expected to see an increase in market revenue following its partnership with Alchemab Therapeutics, though the exact impact is difficult to quantify immediately.