Fauna Bio announced the designation of a target under its strategic obesity discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company, a partnership that began in December 2023. The target was identified using Fauna Bio’s Convergence AI platform and is described by the company as a potential first-in-class approach to treating obesity that leverages biology from hibernating mammals.
The milestone triggers a payment to Fauna Bio under the terms of the collaboration. According to the company, the Convergence AI platform analyzes genomic data from more than 450 mammal species, including over 60 hibernators, and integrates these comparative genomics insights with human patient data to identify disease-relevant targets.
The platform uses a proprietary graph neural network to evaluate and prioritize targets across multiple therapeutic modalities. Fauna Bio is based in Emeryville, California, and focuses on translating extreme mammal biology and comparative genomics into therapeutic targets for metabolic disease and other areas.
