Insilico Medicine Licenses Second AI-Generated Cancer Drug Candidate in a $550M Deal

Insilico Medicine and Menarini Group’s Stemline Therapeutics have announced a second exclusive licensing agreement for an AI-discovered oncology drug candidate. Under the terms of the deal, Insilico will receive a $20 million upfront payment, with potential total payments exceeding $550 million, alongside tiered royalties. The new preclinical asset, identified through Insilico’s generative AI platform, demonstrates broad anti-tumor activity across multiple solid tumor types.

This collaboration builds on the success of the companies’ 2024 partnership, which saw Menarini license MEN2312, a KAT6 inhibitor designed using Insilico’s AI platform. MEN2312 has quickly advanced into Phase 1 trials, where it is being evaluated as both a standalone therapy and in combination with standard treatments for metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer. In preclinical studies, MEN2312 showed promise in blocking estrogen receptor activity at the transcription level, potentially overcoming resistance to hormone therapies.

Elcin Barker Ergun, CEO of Menarini Group:

“We are thrilled to enter our second collaboration with Insilico Medicine, a leader in the field of generative AI, for a highly selective and potentially best-in-class small molecule targeting a broad range of cancers. This asset will help us enter into new areas of high unmet need, expanding the tumor areas where we can help cancer patients with ground-breaking therapies.”

Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine:

“Our previous experience with Menarini Stemline proved that the company is efficient, agile, strategic, and committed to rapidly delivering the best novel therapeutic solutions to patients with cancer, maximizing the probability of success of the program.”

In related news, Insilico recently published its work on PRMT5 inhibitors in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (JMC), showcasing potent, selective, and orally bioavailable compounds with robust in vivo antitumor activity. This follows the company’s Preclinical Candidate Nomination (PCC) announcement for its potentially best-in-class PRMT5 inhibitor, which aligns with its Phase 1 trial for a MAT2A inhibitor.

Cover image: Insilico Medicine

Topics: Novel Therapeutics