Boehringer Ingelheim has unveiled its second kidney-focused collaboration in recent weeks, this time penning a deal worth over $120 million biobucks with genomics-focused Variant Bio.
The alliance will harness Variant’s AI-powered Inference platform to discover and validate new targets for cardiorenal and kidney disease. Variant touts the platform as a way to integrate genomic, deep phenotyping and multiomic data from studies spanning global populations.
Boehringer’s bold ambition for the collaboration is to “accelerate the discovery of transformative therapies—turning genetic insights into real-world impact for millions of people living with kidney disease.”
The companies didn’t break down the specific financials of the deal, beyond estimating that the combined upfront, license and milestone payments heading Variant’s way could potentially exceed $120 million.
“This strategic partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim marks another key milestone for Variant Bio and demonstrates the power of our Inference platform,” said Variant CEO Andrew Farnum.
“Combining our AI-driven discovery engine and unique data resources with Boehringer Ingelheim's unparalleled expertise in cardiovascular and renal conditions gives us an exceptional opportunity to make a real difference for patients with kidney disease,” Farnum added.
Other pharmas have also spied the potential in Variant’s approach. A year ago, Novo Nordisk inked a multiyear research pact to better understand the genetics underlying metabolic diseases across diverse populations.
The deal with Variant comes weeks after Boehringer signed another kidney-focused collaboration, offering Rectify Pharmaceuticals up to $448 million to partner on a preclinical program.
Boehringer already co-markets Jardiance, which won approval in chronic kidney disease (CKD) in 2023, with Eli Lilly. The German drugmaker is also active in CKD drug development, with a study of the aldosterone synthase inhibitor vicadrostat among its roster of phase 3 trials.