Insitro signs AstraZeneca discovery agreement with $40 million upfront payment

Insitro announced a worldwide exclusive research agreement with AstraZeneca to discover drug targets and therapeutics for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, and cardiomyopathies. Insitro will receive $40 million upfront and is eligible for up to approximately $1.46 billion in potential discovery, development and commercial milestone payments, plus single-digit royalties on potential global sales. Insitro will use its Virtual Human AI platform to identify biological drivers of disease and advance AstraZeneca-nominated targets through selection of development candidates. AstraZeneca will lead clinical development, regulatory work and commercialization. The milestone payments depend on future progress; the agreement begins with discovery research.