SanegeneBio has formed a worldwide research and licensing partnership with Eli Lilly and Company to develop RNAi [RNA interference] candidates for metabolic diseases.

These candidates will be developed using SanegeneBio’s tissue-selective ligand and enhancer assisted delivery (LEAD) technology.

The partnership focuses on advancing new therapies that can potentially be administered subcutaneously as infrequently as twice a year.

SanegeneBio will discover and identify optimised RNAi molecules for each programme through its LEAD platform. Lilly will handle commercialisation, investigational new drug-enabling studies and clinical development along with commercialisation.

SanegeneBio CEO and founder Weimin Wang said: “Partnering with Lilly represents a strong validation of our innovative and differentiated LEAD platform for tissue-selective delivery of RNAi medicines.

“We look forward to working closely with Lilly, a global leader in innovation for metabolic diseases, to unlock novel approaches for the treatment of metabolic disorders and to advance durable, disease-modifying therapies for patients worldwide.”

SanegeneBio will receive an equity investment and upfront payment, along with near-term milestone payments.

The company is eligible for up to $1.2bn in regulatory, development, discovery and commercial milestone payments, alongside tiered royalties from sales of future products.

Founded in 2021, SanegeneBio focuses on developing RNAi-based therapeutics and operates research and development centres in Suzhou, Boston and Shanghai.

Its pipeline features experimental treatments for cardiometabolic conditions, autoimmune kidney diseases and obesity, with clinical trials commenced for four candidates.

In early November 2025, Lilly outlined plans to develop a $3bn manufacturing facility in Katwijk, the Netherlands, situated in the Leiden Bio Science Park, bolstering its worldwide supply chain operations.