Vasa Therapeutics to Use Eli Lilly AI Platform in Drug Discovery Collaboration

Vasa Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has reached an agreement with Eli Lilly & Co. that will allow Vasa to use Lilly’s TuneLab, an artificial-intelligence–based drug discovery platform trained on the pharmaceutical company’s proprietary research data.

Under the agreement, Vasa will apply TuneLab’s predictive machine-learning models to support discovery and candidate selection efforts across its pipeline, including its CAMKII delta inhibitor program. The platform is designed to enable external biotechnology companies to access Lilly’s internal drug discovery models while maintaining data privacy through a federated learning framework.

Vasa plans to contribute internal experimental datasets to TuneLab to help refine the platform, according to the companies.

Vasa’s lead asset, VS‑041, is currently being evaluated in a proof-of-mechanism study for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. A second program, VS‑214, is expected to enter first-in-human testing in 2026. The company said it plans to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial for its CAMKII delta inhibitor in 2027.

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