Schrödinger partners with Lilly Tune Labs on AI drug discovery

Schrödinger, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDGR) announced a new partnership with Lilly TuneLab™, a platform launched by Eli Lilly and Company to accelerate drug discovery and development through advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. The partnership will integrate TuneLab into Schrödinger's enterprise informatics platform, LiveDesign, and serve as the preferred interface for participating biotech companies to access TuneLab workflows.

The partnership will focus on integrating AI, physically-based modeling and experimental data in a unified digital environment to improve the speed and quality of research and development across the pharmaceutical industry.

TuneLab and LiveDesign integration

Under this agreement, TuneLab will be available directly within LiveDesign. LiveDesign is a platform already widely used by discovery teams to manage data, collaborate across disciplines, and apply large-scale computational methods. By incorporating TuneLab workflows into LiveDesign, Schrödinger and Lilly aim to lower the barrier to adoption and enable biotech companies to leverage advanced AI tools within their existing enterprise systems.

Schrödinger said the move is in response to growing demand from research organizations for platforms that integrate modeling and machine learning into a single collaborative environment.

“As a leader in computational drug discovery, Schrodinger is pleased to partner with Lilly Tune Labs,” said Pat Lawton, Schrodinger's Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Software. “We are pleased to have LiveDesign become a preferred platform partner for TuneLab workflows, reflecting the demand for integrated enterprise informatics solutions that democratize access to AI models, physically-based computations, and experimental data across discovery teams.”

Based on the history of collaboration

Schrödinger executives emphasized that the collaboration builds on the company's long-standing approach of working with partners to accelerate innovation in drug discovery. The TuneLab integration aims to expand the practical application of digital drug design methods across both independent and collaborative research programs.

“At Schrödinger, we have a long history of collaborating with partners to accelerate drug discovery. We are excited to partner with Lilly to expand the use of digital drug discovery methods and ultimately have a greater impact on patients,” said Karen Akinsanya, president of research and development, therapeutics and chief strategy officer of partnerships at Schrödinger. “Schrödinger has a track record of leveraging LiveDesign's suite of enterprise capabilities, including physically-based and AI/ML techniques, to drive our unique collaborative programs, and we look forward to building on that success with TuneLab.”

A privacy-first approach to AI collaboration

TuneLab was developed by Lilly using a global network of technology partners, including Schrödinger and other AI and machine learning providers. A key feature of this platform is the use of federated learning. This is a privacy-first approach that allows multiple organizations to benefit from shared AI workflows while keeping their own data separate and secure.

Hosted by a third party, TuneLab allows Lilly and participating companies to access advanced AI capabilities without pooling sensitive data sets. This is an approach designed to address data privacy issues that often limit collaboration in pharmaceutical research.

By combining TuneLab's AI-driven workflows with LiveDesign's enterprise capabilities, partners aim to support more efficient collaboration across the drug discovery ecosystem and turn computational advances into tangible benefits for patients.