Earendil Labs to Scale AI-Driven Biologics Platform with $787 Million Funding

Earendil Labs announced on March 20, 2026 that it has raised $787 million in financing to expand its artificial intelligence (AI)–driven biologics discovery and development platform, marking one of the largest recent capital raises supporting AI-enabled drug development.¹

The financing included participation from multiple global investors, including Sanofi and the Biotech Development Fund (created by Hillhouse and Pfizer), and will be used to scale the company’s R&D infrastructure, expand interdisciplinary teams, and advance a growing pipeline of antibody-based therapeutics.

The announcement reflects increasing investment in AI-native platforms designed to improve the efficiency and scalability of biologics development, particularly as companies seek to move beyond proof-of-concept applications toward clinically validated pipelines.²

How is AI being integrated across biologics discovery and development?

Earendil Labs applies AI across the full biologics R&D lifecycle, from target identification and molecular design to optimization and clinical progression. Unlike earlier approaches that used AI primarily for discrete discovery tasks, the company positions its platform as a continuous “production engine” for therapeutic programs.¹

The platform has generated more than 40 biologics programs to date, including HXN-1001, a half-life–extended anti-TL1A antibody that is ready for Phase II clinical development. The company also plans multiple investigational new drug submissions in 2026 and 2027.

By integrating computational modeling with experimental validation, the approach aims to systematically produce differentiated candidates with improved pharmacokinetics and target specificity. This model is intended to address persistent inefficiencies in biologics R&D, including long development timelines and high attrition rates.

“AI is at the core of everything we do—not as a research tool, but as a production engine for real therapeutic programs,” said Jian Peng, PhD, founder and CEO of Earendil Labs, in a company press release.¹ “This financing allows us to operate at a fundamentally different scale, advancing multiple programs toward the clinic while building an R&D organization designed for long-term impact.”

What role do partnerships play in validating AI-driven platforms?

Strategic collaborations remain a key component of validating AI-enabled discovery platforms, particularly as large biopharmaceutical companies seek access to differentiated biologics pipelines. Earendil Labs has established collaborations with Sanofi, including a worldwide exclusive license agreement announced in 2025 for next-generation bispecific antibodies targeting autoimmune and inflammatory bowel diseases. The agreement covers programs such as HXN-1002 and HXN-1003.³

More recently, the companies expanded their collaboration to apply Earendil’s AI-driven platform across multiple autoimmune and inflammatory disease programs, underscoring growing industry interest in AI-enabled biologics design.

“Our focus is ultimately on patients suffering from diseases that still lack effective treatment options,” said Zhenping Zhu, MD, PhD, co-founder, president and co-CEO of Earendil Labs, in the release.¹ “This funding greatly strengthens our ability to translate AI-enabled innovation into potentially transformative medicines and provides opportunities to partner with global leaders to accelerate our research and development programs worldwide.”

Can AI-native platforms scale biologics pipelines more efficiently?

With this financing, Earendil Labs plans to scale its AI-driven infrastructure across discovery and development, expand scientific and engineering teams, and advance multiple internal programs toward clinical milestones.

The company’s model combines internal pipeline development with external partnerships to diversify risk and accelerate validation across multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory conditions.

As AI adoption expands across the biopharmaceutical sector, platforms capable of generating reproducible, clinic-ready candidates at scale may play an increasingly central role in shaping next-generation drug development strategies.⁴

References

1. Earendil Labs. Earendil Labs announces $787 million in financing to scale AI-driven biologics discovery and development. Published March 20, 2026. Accessed March 20, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/earendil-labs-announces-787-million-in-financing-to-scale-ai-driven-biologics-discovery-and-development-302719748.html
2. Hie BL, Shanker VR, Xu D, et al. Efficient evolution of human antibodies from general protein language models. Nat. Biotechnol. 2024;42:275-283. doi: 10.1038/s41587-023-01763-2
3. Earendil Labs. Earendil Labs announces worldwide exclusive license agreement with Sanofi for next-generation bispecific antibodies for autoimmune and inflammatory bowel diseases. Published online April 17, 2025. Accessed March 20, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/earendil-labs-announces-worldwide-exclusive-license-agreement-with-sanofi-for-next-generation-bispecific-antibodies-for-autoimmune-and-inflammatory-bowel-diseases-302431020.html
4. Dharmasivam M, Kaya B, Akinware A, et al. Leading artificial intelligence–driven drug discovery platforms: 2025 landscape and global outlook. Pharmacol. Rev. 2026;78(1):100102. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmr.2025.100102