Zealand Pharma and Generate Biomedicines have announced a strategic collaboration to develop AI-designed protein therapies for obesity and other metabolic diseases. The partnership will combine Zealand Pharma’s expertise in metabolic health with Generate’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology and protein engineering capabilities.
The companies plan to design and develop multispecific protein therapeutics, which are engineered to act on multiple biological targets. The goal is to create new treatment options for people living with obesity and other metabolic conditions, including diseases linked to heart and metabolic health.
The collaboration will use Generate’s platform, which combines generative AI with high-throughput laboratory testing. This approach allows researchers to design new proteins computationally, test them experimentally and refine their structures based on the results.
By combining their expertise, the companies aim to accelerate the discovery and development of protein-based medicines with specific biological functions. The partnership will also expand Zealand Pharma’s drug development capabilities beyond its existing focus on peptides and small-molecule medicines.
Utpal Singh, chief scientific officer at Zealand Pharma, said the collaboration expands the company’s research capabilities by adding protein-based therapeutics to its existing technology platforms. He added that the partnership supports Zealand Pharma’s strategy to combine its metabolic health expertise with advanced drug discovery technologies to develop next-generation treatments.
Mike Nally, chief executive officer of Generate Biomedicines, said the partnership brings together Zealand Pharma’s experience in peptide therapies and metabolic disease with Generate’s computational drug design and experimental capabilities.
The teams will initially define the desired characteristics of an effective medicine for each of two initial research programmes. They will then use Generate’s platform to design multispecific protein candidates that meet or exceed those targets.
Obesity and cardiometabolic diseases remain major areas of focus for pharmaceutical companies as researchers seek treatments that can provide meaningful and lasting benefits for patients. Developing medicines that act on multiple biological targets could offer new ways to address the complex mechanisms involved in these conditions.
For Zealand Pharma, the collaboration represents an expansion of its metabolic disease research into protein-based medicines. For Generate Biomedicines, the partnership provides an opportunity to apply its AI-driven protein design technology to a major area of unmet medical need.
The companies expect the collaboration to support the discovery of new therapeutic candidates for obesity and other metabolic diseases, although further research and clinical testing will be needed to establish their safety and effectiveness.