Creyon Bio Announces Collaboration with Eli Lilly for RNA Therapeutics
Deal News | Apr 29, 2025 | Ropes & Gray
Ropes & Gray has advised Creyon Bio on a significant licensing and research collaboration with Eli Lilly, centering on the development of RNA-targeted oligonucleotide therapies. Under the terms of the partnership, Creyon Bio will receive a $13 million upfront payment, part of which includes the purchase of equity in the company. Furthermore, the deal stipulates potential development and commercialization payments exceeding $1 billion, contingent upon achieving certain milestones. Eli Lilly has been granted an exclusive license to advance lead candidates for each research target and will assume responsibility for further research, development, and commercialization post-milestones. Ropes & Gray's legal team, led by partners David McIntosh and Rajarshi Banerjee, facilitated this strategic alliance which leverages Creyon Bio's AI-powered oligo engineering platform to create therapies for both rare and common diseases.
Sectors
- Biotechnology
- Pharmaceuticals
- Legal Advisory
Geography
- United States – Both Creyon Bio and Eli Lilly are based in the U.S., and the legal advisory involved is also from the U.S., making it the central geographic location for this collaboration.
Industry
- Biotechnology – The industry focuses on the development and commercialization of products derived from biological processes, which is highly relevant as the article discusses RNA-targeted therapy.
- Pharmaceuticals – The article discusses a collaboration aimed at discovering and commercializing new therapies, central activities of the pharmaceutical industry.
- Legal Advisory – Ropes & Gray, a law firm, is involved in facilitating the collaboration agreement, highlighting the role of legal advisory in transactional activities.
Financials
- 13 million – The upfront payment Creyon Bio receives, which includes cash and equity purchase.
- Over 1 billion – Potential development and commercialization payments contingent on milestone achievements.
Participants
| Name | Role | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creyon Bio | Licensing Target | Company | A nucleic acid drug development company utilizing an AI-powered oligo engineering platform to design RNA-targeted therapies. |
| Eli Lilly and Company | Licensing Partner | Company | A global pharmaceutical company involved in discovering, developing, and commercializing new therapies. |
| Ropes & Gray | Legal Advisor | Company | A law firm providing legal advisory services for the Creyon Bio and Eli Lilly collaboration. |
| David McIntosh | IP Transactions Partner | Person | A partner at Ropes & Gray who led the legal advisory for this collaboration. |
| Rajarshi Banerjee | Venture Capital and Emerging Companies Partner | Person | A partner at Ropes & Gray involved in overseeing the licensing collaboration. |