XtalPi and DoveTree launch $6B AI-powered push to “drug the undruggable”

Chinese biotech XtalPi and U.S.-based DoveTree Medicines struck a deal worth up to $6 billion to co-develop first-in-class therapies in oncology, immunology, neurology, metabolic disorders, and inflammatory diseases. DoveTree gets exclusive global rights to the resulting drugs; XtalPi gets $51M upfront, up to $49M in near-term payments, and potential milestones and royalties totaling ~$5.89B.

Why it matters: The partnership blends XtalPi’s AI, quantum physics, and robotics-driven drug discovery with DoveTree’s deep biological expertise in tackling historically “undruggable” targets like RAS, Myc, and β-catenin, potentially opening new therapeutic frontiers.

Backstory: The collaboration expands on XtalPi’s history of big pharma partnerships, including an extended deal with Pfizer earlier this year to enhance AI-powered molecular modeling.

Big picture: This deal reflects a growing trend toward pairing computational power with domain-specific biological expertise to expand therapeutic pipelines. Success here could validate AI-robotics integration as a mainstream engine for high-value drug development partnerships.