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Eli Lilly Unveils AI-Powered TuneLab to Speed Drug Discovery

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Eli Lilly (LLY.N) announced on Tuesday the launch of TuneLab, an artificial intelligence and machine learning platform designed to give biotech companies access to advanced drug discovery models trained on decades of Lilly’s research data.

The platform represents more than $1 billion in proprietary data investments and aims to level the playing field by letting smaller biotech firms access the same AI-driven tools Lilly scientists use internally.

“Lilly TuneLab was created to be an equalizer so that smaller companies can access some of the same AI capabilities used every day by Lilly scientists,” said Daniel Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific officer.

Two biotech firms — Circle Pharma and insitro — are already early partners. Circle will apply TuneLab’s tools to cancer drug development, while insitro will contribute new AI models for small molecule discovery, enhancing TuneLab’s capabilities.

The move reflects a broader industry shift toward AI in research and development. Analysts at Jefferies forecast that AI-related R&D spend could reach $30–40 billion by 2040, as drugmakers adopt AI for discovery, testing, and reducing reliance on animal studies, in line with FDA goals.

TuneLab operates on datasets covering hundreds of thousands of unique molecules. In exchange for access, biotech partners provide their own training data, further strengthening the platform’s predictive power and long-term value.

Lilly Pill Reduces Genetic Cholesterol by Nearly 86% in Trial

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Lilly’s Breakthrough in Cholesterol Treatment

Eli Lilly’s experimental oral medication, muvalaplin, has shown significant promise in treating an inherited form of high cholesterol, specifically targeting lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a). Data from a mid-stage trial, presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Chicago, revealed that the highest dose of muvalaplin reduced Lp(a) levels by 70% using traditional tests and nearly 86% with a more specialized testing method.

Lp(a) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, affecting approximately one in five people globally. Unlike LDL cholesterol, which can be managed with statins, Lp(a) currently has no approved treatments, and many people are unaware they have elevated levels.

Study Details and Results

The trial involved 233 adults with high Lp(a) levels, comparing three daily doses of muvalaplin (10 mg, 60 mg, and 240 mg) with a placebo. Using a traditional blood test, the drug reduced Lp(a) by 40.4%, 70.0%, and 68.9% for each dose, respectively. With the more precise test, reductions were 47.6%, 81.7%, and 85.8%.

Future Prospects and Safety

While muvalaplin showed significant efficacy in reducing Lp(a), adverse events in the treatment and placebo groups were similar, suggesting a favorable safety profile. Ruth Gimeno, Lilly’s VP for diabetes and metabolic research, expressed excitement about advancing the drug to late-stage trials. However, large-scale studies are still required to confirm if lowering Lp(a) can directly reduce cardiovascular events such as heart attacks.

Competitors in the Field

Lilly faces competition from other companies developing Lp(a) treatments, such as Silence Therapeutics, which reported successful results from its injectable drug zerlasiran. Zerlasiran, delivered every 16 to 24 weeks, reduced Lp(a) by up to 85%. Other injectable options in development include drugs from Amgen and Novartis.