Takeda Pharmaceutical Collaborates with Nabla Bio for $1 Billion Antibody Design Pact

Nabla Bio, a biotechnology company, has entered a multi-year research collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. to deploy Nabla Bio's biomolecular design platform, Joint Atomic Model (JAM), across Takeda's early-stage development programs. The agreement includes de novo design of antibodies in parallel for multiple targets, multispecifics, challenging targets, and other custom therapeutics. Nabla Bio will receive double-digit millions in upfront and research cost payments and is eligible to receive success-based payments that may exceed $1 billion.

Japanese pharmaceutical giant Takeda has expanded its partnership with U.S.-based biotech company Nabla Bio to accelerate drug discovery through artificial intelligence. The multi-year research agreement, announced on September 12, 2025, builds on the initial 2022 collaboration and includes milestone and success-based payments potentially exceeding $1 billion Takeda Expands AI Drug Discovery Partnership with U.S. Biotech Firm Nabla Bio in $1 Billion Deal^[1].

Under the new deal, Nabla Bio will leverage its proprietary AI platform, the Joint Atomic Model (JAM), to design protein-based therapeutics for Takeda’s early-stage pipeline. The platform, likened to ChatGPT for its ability to design antibodies to specific molecular targets, offers a rapid feedback loop, delivering design-to-lab-test results within three to four weeks Takeda Expands AI Drug Discovery Partnership with U.S. Biotech Firm Nabla Bio in $1 Billion Deal^[1].

The collaboration aims to develop multi-specific drugs and custom biologics targeting complex diseases that have traditionally been difficult to treat. Nabla Bio’s CEO, Surge Biswas, highlighted the platform’s potential to address pressing problems in Takeda’s discovery portfolio Takeda Expands AI Drug Discovery Partnership with U.S. Biotech Firm Nabla Bio in $1 Billion Deal^[1].

The expanded partnership reflects Takeda’s strategic shift toward faster, AI-driven drug discovery, following its decision to scale back cell therapy research. The company has also joined a consortium with Bristol Myers Squibb and other industry players to train AI models on shared pharmaceutical data Takeda Expands AI Drug Discovery Partnership with U.S. Biotech Firm Nabla Bio in $1 Billion Deal^[1].

For Nabla Bio, the deal represents a significant validation of its technology. The company expects first-in-human trials for its AI-designed molecules within the next one to two years, marking a milestone for AI’s role in reshaping drug development Takeda Expands AI Drug Discovery Partnership with U.S. Biotech Firm Nabla Bio in $1 Billion Deal^[1].