How is AI Transforming Antibody Discovery?

Chai Discovery has announced a collaboration with Novartis to advance the discovery of therapeutic antibodies using artificial intelligence, expanding an existing technical relationship between the two companies.

Under the agreement, Novartis will gain access to Chai Discovery's latest AI models, including the Chai-3 model, to support antibody discovery across multiple therapeutic programs. The collaboration builds on more than a year of technical engagement, during which Novartis received early access to Chai's next-generation protein folding model last spring. 

Joshua Meier, Co-founder and CEO of Chai Discovery, said the collaboration broadens the application of the company's AI-driven molecular design platform across therapeutic programs.

"We are delighted to be collaborating with Novartis in the discovery of new antibodies," Meier said. "This is a significant step forward in expanding the range of therapeutic programs that can benefit from AI-driven molecular design."

Collaboration expands AI-powered antibody discovery

Chai Discovery develops AI models that predict and engineer molecular interactions to help researchers design biomolecules with specific properties. According to the company, its platform is designed to generate candidate molecules based on defined objectives and shorten early-stage drug discovery timelines.

Fiona Marshall, President of Biomedical Research at Novartis, said AI is helping researchers evaluate a broader range of antibody designs while improving decision-making earlier in the discovery process.

"AI is already reshaping how we discover medicines," Marshall said. "By applying advanced models to challenges like antibody design, we can explore a broader range of possibilities, make better decisions earlier, and focus our efforts on the most promising candidates."

She added that the collaboration combines complementary expertise to pursue difficult therapeutic targets and advance potential treatment options for patients.

Agreement adds to Chai Discovery's pharma partnerships

The Novartis collaboration follows previously announced agreements with Pfizer and Eli Lilly, further expanding Chai Discovery's presence among major pharmaceutical companies. In its collaboration with Pfizer, the company provided access to its Chai-3 biological foundation model to support AI-driven drug discovery. Eli Lilly also partnered with Chai Discovery to accelerate biologics discovery and jointly develop AI models tailored to its research workflows.

Financial terms of the Novartis agreement were not disclosed.

The collaboration follows continued investment by pharmaceutical companies in AI-assisted drug discovery, particularly for biologics and antibody engineering. As AI models become more capable of predicting protein structures and designing novel molecules, drugmakers are increasingly evaluating them as tools to accelerate early-stage research and identify promising therapeutic candidates. Similar developments across the industry suggest AI-driven drug discovery is moving beyond research pilots toward broader deployment in pharmaceutical R&D.