Verge Genomics, a California-based AI biotechnology company, has entered a 3-year collaboration with Eli Lilly to research and develop novel therapies for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative neuromuscular disease that has no cure at present.

Verge will receive USD 25 million in an upfront payment, equity investment, and near-term payments through the collaboration. Upon meeting certain development milestones, Verge will receive an additional USD 694 million along with royalty payments. 

Verge will leverage its all-in-human platform to discover and validate new targets for ALS, out of which Eli Lilly will choose up to four targets to be advanced to clinical development and commercialization. Although Verge already has three pre-clinical ALS drugs in its pipeline, including those targeting the PIKFyve enzyme, these are not a part of the agreement with Eli Lilly. 

Founded in 2015, Verge Genomics develops novel therapies using human genomics and artificial intelligence (AI), exclusively targeting neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and ALS. Its approach lies in identifying a drug that targets a “master gene” to influence hundreds of other genes. The company developed an all-in-human platform through partnerships with universities, hospitals, and brain tissue banks to eliminate animal models used for drug discovery.