Prellis Biologics announced a strategic multi-target drug discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company on September 23, 2025, combining Prellis' first-of-a-kind biological AI platform with Lilly's expertise in research, development and commercialization to develop next-generation antibody therapeutics.
Revolutionary Biological AI Technology
The partnership centers on Prellis' EXIS™ (Externalized Immune System) platform, which the company describes as the first fully synthetic, animal-free, functional human immune system. The platform generates diverse, high-affinity antibodies derived from fully human artificial lymph node organoids with industry-leading speed of approximately 3-4 weeks.
"With industry leading speed (~3-4 weeks), the EXIS™ platform generates diverse, high affinity antibodies, derived from fully human artificial lymph node organoids against a wide array of targets and targets classes including GPCR's," said Mike Nohaile, PhD, CEO of Prellis. "These hits are then matured by artificial intelligence into drug candidates."
First-of-Kind Drug Design Approach
Prellis is developing what it calls a new type of "biological AI" that distinguishes itself from previous commercial systems. While earlier biological AI systems used techniques such as imaging to detect tumors, Prellis' platform represents the first to design drugs by combining a living biological system with generative AI refinements.
The system leverages real-world, fully human biology with feedback loops and AI training systems that continuously improve drug candidates. According to Nohaile, this approach addresses one of AI's biggest limitations in drug development: "access to vast quantities of high-quality, fully human training data for novel targets."
Collaboration Structure and Financial Terms
Under the agreement, Prellis and Lilly will jointly discover and develop human antibody therapeutics for selected targets. The partnership aims to leverage Prellis' proprietary lymph node organoid technology system that rapidly recapitulates human immune response in vitro, combined with rapid AI-based optimization for enhanced therapeutic efficacy, safety and manufacturability.
Prellis will receive an up-front payment, development and sales milestones, and royalties for the licensed antibodies, though specific financial terms were not disclosed.
Technology Platform Capabilities
The EXIS™ platform allows Prellis to harness fully human immune responses for the development of antibody therapeutics, disease models, and target discovery. The company's proprietary holographic printing technology can accurately match and rapidly replicate human organ and tissue structures with industry-leading speed and resolution.
Les Miranda, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Prellis, emphasized the transformative potential: "Our mission is to transform how antibody-based therapies are developed to create more precise, effective, and accessible candidates. We believe this agile approach represents the future of medicine, where biology and artificial intelligence synergistically converge to address complex diseases faster than ever before."
Vision for Drug Development Future
Prellis envisions replacing previous biological drug discovery efforts with a more versatile and scalable bio-AI hybrid approach. The company's platform combines the AntiGen AI system with the EXIS™ organoid technology to accelerate the discovery of highly diverse and fully human antibodies for multiple disease targets.
The collaboration represents a significant step toward realizing what Nohaile describes as the future of drug development: "Ultimately, the future of drug development will be determined by the best data and that is exactly what we're delivering."
