Biotech software company Schrodinger said on Friday it is collaborating with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly to offer Lilly’s artificial intelligence–based drug discovery platform, TuneLab, through its software.
Under the collaboration, Lilly’s TuneLab platform will be integrated into Schrodinger’s cloud-based drug design software LiveDesign, giving biotechnology companies direct access to AI tools designed to accelerate drug discovery and development. Schrodinger said the integration will help researchers move more quickly from early-stage molecule design to viable drug candidates.
LiveDesign is used by chemists to design compounds and predict key properties such as absorption and distribution, helping developers understand how experimental drugs are likely to behave in the body. The addition of TuneLab is expected to further enhance these capabilities by applying AI and machine learning models trained on years of pharmaceutical research data.
Drugmakers and biotech firms have been increasingly adopting AI tools to speed up discovery and safety testing, aiming to reduce costs and development timelines. The trend aligns with efforts by regulators such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to encourage alternatives to animal testing in the coming years.
Schrodinger Chief Strategy Officer Karen Akinsanya said existing LiveDesign customers will gain access to TuneLab in the first quarter of this year, while new users will be able to use the AI platform starting in the second quarter.
Eli Lilly launched TuneLab last year to allow external biotech companies to tap into its AI and machine learning models trained on proprietary research data. Lilly has already announced multiple partnerships using the platform to support drug development efforts.
“More biotechs using the models means more diverse training data,” said Aliza Apple, global head of Lilly TuneLab. “Ultimately, this is about moving molecules through discovery faster for the patients who are waiting.”
