XtalPi has announced a strategic collaboration with biotech DoveTree Medicines.
The collaboration, worth up to $5.99bn, represents one of the largest commitments to date for AI- and robotics-driven pharmaceutical R&D.
Under the agreement, DoveTree gains exclusive global rights to develop and commercialise a portfolio of therapeutics generated through the partnership. XtalPi has received an upfront payment of $51m and is eligible for $49m in additional near-term payments, plus development and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties totaling up to $5.89bn.
The collaboration merges XtalPi’s integrated drug discovery capabilities with DoveTree’s experience selecting and validating novel targets of high therapeutic potential. Together, the companies will focus on developing first-in-class candidates across oncology, immunology and inflammatory diseases, neurological disorders, and metabolic dysregulation with significant unmet needs. The partnership will advance DoveTree’s selected pipeline of projects targeting historically challenging mechanisms, with plans to expand joint R&D capabilities in emerging modalities like molecular glue.
DoveTree Medicines was founded by Gregory Verdine, who was credited with originating the “drugging the undruggable” concept. He has pioneered unique molecular glue and peptide technology platforms, successfully applying them to the drug development against “undruggable” proteins such as RAS, Myc, and β-catenin. He has co-developed three FDA-approved drugs, with over a dozen additional candidates currently in clinical development.
XtalPi has developed a de novo drug discovery platform that spans small molecules, biologics, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and molecular glues. This multimodal capability enables the efficient exploration of parallel drug development approaches against single targets and unlocks broader chemical space. By integrating quantum physics predictions, AI-driven molecular design, and a large-scale robotic lab-in-the-loop, XtalPi accelerates the drug discovery workflow from target analysis and molecular generation to affinity prediction, ADMET assessment, and synthesis design.
Verdine, founder and CEO of DoveTree, said: “XtalPi’s unique platform has the potential to transform the profound uncertainties of drug discovery into quantifiable engineering solutions. Their demonstrated ability to innovate at scale makes them a valuable partner in pursuing drug targets that are beyond conventional methods. By merging DoveTree’s biological insights and extensive R&D expertise with XtalPi’s powerful platform, we aim to deliver transformative therapies for patients globally.”
Shuhao Wen, chairman of XtalPi, said: “Dr. Verdine and DoveTree bring exceptional biological acumen, business vision, and a proven track record of translational success, perfectly complementing our platform’s strengths in high-throughput molecule generation, design, and validation. This partnership positions us to accelerate breakthroughs against complex diseases while expanding the frontiers of AI-driven drug discovery. XtalPi remains committed to advancing our core technologies and working closely with leading innovators to help build diverse pipelines of impactful medicines.”
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