Eli Lilly and Juvena Therapeutics Partner to Advance AI-Driven Muscle Health Research

Eli Lilly has entered into a collaboration with Juvena Therapeutics aimed at developing new therapies to support muscle health and improve body composition. The agreement includes an undisclosed upfront payment, an equity investment, and milestone payments exceeding $650 million. The companies will utilize Juvena’s artificial-intelligence-enabled screening platform to identify and develop drug candidates that enhance muscle function.

Juvena’s platform, called JuvNET, is designed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of proteins secreted by regenerative stem cells. It integrates a compounding database that links secreted proteins to disease phenotypes with both in silico and in vitro human cell screening technologies. 

This system has already led to the discovery of JUV-161, a first-in-class fusion protein intended to stimulate muscle regeneration. Juvena recently initiated a first-in-human clinical study of JUV-161 to treat myotonic dystrophy type 1, a disease that impacts both skeletal and smooth muscle.

As part of the agreement, Eli Lilly has obtained exclusive rights to develop lead candidates discovered through this collaboration across multiple targets. Lilly will determine whether to proceed with the programs after Juvena reaches certain predefined milestones. If approved, Lilly will manage all further research, development, and commercialization activities.

This partnership adds to Lilly’s ongoing focus on muscle-related therapies. In 2023, the company acquired Versanis Bio for up to $1.92 billion to gain bimagrumab, an antibody that promotes skeletal muscle growth by blocking a specific receptor. Currently, Lilly is conducting phase 2 trials evaluating the combination of bimagrumab with GLP-1-based drugs. One study, initiated prior to the acquisition of Versanis, is testing the antibody with semaglutide, while more recent trials pair it with tirzepatide, Lilly’s GLP-1/GIP drug.

In a February earnings call, Lilly’s Chief Scientific Officer, Daniel Skovronsky, commented on the expectations for muscle-boosting treatments, “We’re probably going to either need to see incremental weight loss or we’re going to need to see some real functional benefits to lean mass preservation. I think just lean mass on its own, we don’t really know how to understand that.”

The deal with Juvena follows closely on the heels of another Lilly partnership. Just a week earlier, the company agreed to invest up to $870 million in a collaboration with Camurus to develop long-acting GLP-1 and incretin-based treatments. That agreement included a $290 million upfront payment and access to Camurus’ delivery technology.

Juvena’s Chief Scientific Officer, Jeremy O’Connell, stated that the new collaboration will “aim to accelerate innovation that advances the standard of care in obesity management.” Although it remains undisclosed whether the new muscle-targeting therapies will be used in combination with Lilly’s existing medications, the initiative aligns with growing interest in maintaining muscle mass during weight loss, particularly given concerns about the loss of lean mass associated with GLP-1 drugs.

Founded in 2022, Juvena Therapeutics emerged with $41 million in funding and a focus on using AI to identify protein-based therapies for conditions such as sarcopenic obesity and myotonic dystrophy.