Lila Bio Receives $3.65M from NIH for Pulmonary Hypertension

Key Takeaways

1Lila Bio receives $3.65 million from the NIH to develop a treatment for pulmonary hypertension

2The funding, in two phases, supports preclinical studies on animals and patient tissues

3The startup, spun out of the University of Washington, relies on two AI platforms to design proteins

4Lila Bio raised $10 million in 2023 and collaborates with Eli Lilly

Why it matters : This funding supports the development of new treatments for pulmonary hypertension through protein design using artificial intelligence.

Lila Bio receives $3.65 million from the NIH to develop a treatment for pulmonary hypertension using artificial intelligence. This funding, organized in two phases, aims to conduct preclinical studies on animals as well as on tissues from patients. The startup, which originated from David Baker's lab, relies on two protein design platforms.

Two AI Platforms for Protein Design

Lila Bio utilizes artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop therapeutic proteins using two distinct platforms. One of these platforms focuses on the pulmonary hypertension project, developing injectable long-acting drugs designed to remain active in the body for several weeks or months. The second platform addresses radiotherapy, creating proteins capable of delivering radioactive isotopes to tumors. In 2023, Lila Bio announced a collaboration with Eli Lilly to develop treatments for solid tumors.

A $3.65M Grant in Two Phases for Preclinical Studies

The startup has received a $3.65 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, as part of the Small Business Innovation Research program. The funding is divided into two phases: $605,981 is allocated for initial tests on mice, rats, and non-human primates, followed by $3,049,462 to support additional animal evaluations and studies conducted on lung tissues from patients.

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Pulmonary Hypertension and Lila Bio's Therapeutic Approach

Pulmonary hypertension refers to elevated blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs, which forces the heart to work harder and can lead to heart failure. Jake Kraft, CEO of Lila Bio, explains that most current treatments are limited to relieving symptoms, such as vasodilators, and adds that Lila Bio targets clinically validated mechanisms and disease modifiers to address the root cause. The treatment under development could be administered by injection a few times a year.

Academic Origins, Founders, and Initial Funding

Lila Bio originated from David Baker's lab at the University of Washington. Co-founders Jake Kraft and Chief Scientific Officer Anindya Roy both served as postdoctoral researchers at the university's Institute for Protein Design. The company was founded in 2023 and raised $10 million in initial funding the same year. Jake Kraft states that he aims to develop drugs for patients, beyond just protein design.