Schrödinger partners with Lilly TuneLab on AI drug discovery

Schrödinger, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDGR) has announced a new collaboration with Lilly TuneLab™, a platform launched by Eli Lilly and Company to accelerate drug discovery and development through advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. The partnership brings TuneLab into LiveDesign, Schrödinger’s enterprise informatics platform, where it will serve as a priority interface for participating biotechnology companies to access TuneLab workflows.

The collaboration grows the emphasis across the pharmaceutical industry on integrating AI, physics-based modelling and experimental data within unified digital environments to improve the speed and quality of research and development.

TuneLab integration with LiveDesign

Under the agreement, TuneLab will be made available directly within LiveDesign, a platform already widely used by discovery teams to manage data, collaborate across disciplines and apply computational methods at scale. By embedding TuneLab workflows into LiveDesign, Schrödinger and Lilly aim to lower barriers to adoption and enable biotech companies to take advantage of advanced AI tools within their existing enterprise systems.

Schrödinger and Lilly aim to lower barriers to adoption and enable biotech companies to take advantage of advanced AI tools within their existing enterprise systems.

Schrödinger said the move responds to increasing demand from discovery organisations for platforms that bring together modelling and machine learning in a single, collaborative environment.

“As a leader in computational drug discovery, Schrödinger is pleased to partner with Lilly TuneLab," stated Pat Lorton, chief technology officer and chief operating officer, software at Schrödinger. “We are pleased that LiveDesign will be a priority platform partner for TuneLab workflows, reflecting the demand for a unified enterprise informatics solution that democratises access to AI models, physics-based calculations, and experimental data across discovery teams.”

Building on a history of collaboration

Executives at Schrödinger emphasised that the collaboration builds on the company’s longstanding approach of working with partners to accelerate innovation in drug discovery. The integration of TuneLab is intended to expand the practical application of digital drug design methods across both proprietary and collaborative research programmes.

The integration of TuneLab is intended to expand the practical application of digital drug design methods across both proprietary and collaborative research programmes.

“Schrödinger has a long history of working with partners to accelerate drug discovery. We are pleased to be partnering with Lilly to expand the use of digital drug design methods, and ultimately drive greater impact for patients,” said Karen Akinsanya, president of R&D, therapeutics, and chief strategy officer, partnerships at Schrödinger. “Schrödinger has a track record of successfully leveraging LiveDesign’s array of enterprise features, including physics-based and AI/ML methods, to advance our proprietary and collaborative programs, and we look forward to building on that success with TuneLab.”

Privacy-first approach to AI collaboration

TuneLab has been developed by Lilly using a global network of technology partners, including Schrödinger and other AI and machine learning providers. A key feature of the platform is its use of federated learning. This is a privacy-first approach that enables multiple organisations to benefit from shared AI workflows while keeping proprietary data separate and secure.

By combining TuneLab’s AI-driven workflows with LiveDesign’s enterprise capabilities, the partners aim to support more efficient collaboration across the drug discovery ecosystem.

Hosted by a third party, TuneLab allows Lilly and participating companies to access advanced AI capabilities without pooling sensitive datasets, an approach designed to address data privacy concerns that often limit collaboration in pharmaceutical research.

By combining TuneLab’s AI-driven workflows with LiveDesign’s enterprise capabilities, the partners aim to support more efficient collaboration across the drug discovery ecosystem and help translate computational advances into tangible benefits for patients.