- Research will leverage world’s first AI-enabled screening platform for mapping the therapeutic potential of secreted signaling proteins, developed by Juvena
- Collaboration aims to accelerate the discovery of treatments that help individuals maintain and even improve their muscle mass and function
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Juvena Therapeutics, Inc. (“Juvena”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering tissue restorative biologics for chronic muscle and metabolic diseases, today announced it has entered a global licensing and multi-target research collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company (“Lilly”) to discover, develop, and commercialize drug candidates that improve muscle health and body composition.
As part of the collaboration, Juvena will leverage JuvNET, the world’s first, fully integrated, AI-enabled screening platform for mapping the therapeutic potential of stem cell-secreted proteins, developed by Juvena. The collaboration will identify muscle targeting drug candidates from Juvena’s proprietary library of human stem-cell secreted proteins for improved body composition and muscle health.
“We are thrilled to demonstrate the power of our fully integrated AI-enabled platform to accelerate the discovery and development of therapeutics with transformative potential that promote healthspan in individuals facing chronic conditions like obesity and frailty,” said Dr. Hanadie Yousef, co-founder and CEO of Juvena Therapeutics. “Particularly as a strong body of evidence demonstrates the link between muscle health and enhanced metabolism, mobility, and even long-term disease prevention and overall health, we look forward to advancing our pro-metabolic and muscle regenerative discoveries and continuing to leverage Juvena’s proprietary stem-cell derived protein library to identify novel targets and deliver better treatments for patients with efficiency and purpose.”
“Obesity affects one in eight people globally, all of whom deserve a chance at better health," said Dr. Jeremy O’Connell, co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Juvena Therapeutics. “Bringing together Lilly’s decades-long experience in metabolic diseases with Juvena’s AI expertise and deep understanding of human stem-cell secreted proteins with therapeutic potential, we aim to accelerate innovation that advances the standard of care in obesity management and helps people live their best lives.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Juvena will receive an upfront payment, an equity investment, and potential development and commercialization milestone payments. Juvena will grant Lilly an exclusive license to identified lead candidates and Lilly will be responsible for further research, development and commercialization.
About Juvena Therapeutics
Juvena Therapeutics is a platform-driven, clinical-stage company unlocking the therapeutic potential of stem-cell secreted proteins and translating them into a growing pipeline of engineered biologics for chronic muscle and metabolic diseases. Juvena is achieving this through its fully integrated, end-to-end Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled drug discovery and development platform, JuvNET, that combines a compounding database mapping secreted proteins to specific disease phenotypes, in silico and in vitro human cell screening, pharmacology, and protein engineering capabilities, leveraging the latest in quantitative proteomics and AI. To learn more visit https://www.juvenatherapeutics.com/ or follow the company on LinkedIn @Juvena-Therapeutics.
Juvena’s pipeline of biologic drug candidates span chronic muscle and obesity-related diseases. Last month, Juvena announced the first clinical trial for its lead program, JUV-161, engineered from a natural secreted protein that enhances muscle regeneration and health.
They are also developing JUV-112, a lipolysis inducing, non-appetite suppressing, muscle sparing, obesity and metabolic disease preclinical candidate with an energy expenditure mechanism of action that is based on the discovery of a secreted protein that is orthogonal to incretins. The company has also generated dozens of hits with tissue restorative benefits spanning pulmonary and hepatic fibrosis and osteoarthritis.
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