Cradle and Lundbeck Forge Biotherapeutics and AI Partnership

Lundbeck is leveraging Cradle’s AI-driven protein design platform to create advanced candidates, aiming to accelerate breakthroughs in neurological treatments. Credit: Cradle

European startup Cradle teams up with biopharma Lundbeck to optimize biotherapeutics for neurological disorders using its protein design platform.

European AI startup Cradle is dedicated to advancing technological breakthroughs through artificial intelligence.

The company’s technology assists scientists in decoding and rewriting biological processes to discover new food sources, materials, and therapeutics.

Cradle recently announced a collaboration with Lundbeck, a global biopharmaceutical firm specializing in brain health, to optimize biotherapeutics—medical treatments derived from living organisms or biological sources.

AI-driven breakthroughs for neurological conditions

According to The Lancet Neurology, over 3 billion people worldwide live with a neurological condition. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that neurological disorders are now the leading cause of ill health and disability globally.

Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) resulting from neurological conditions have risen by 18% since 1990. The WHO notes in its analysis of The Lancet Neurology’s report that more than one in three people are affected by these conditions.

While AI is transforming various industries, its impact on healthcare and medical research is expected to be pivotal. Cradle emphasizes that accelerating the development of high-quality biologics is essential for delivering effective new treatments to patients.

“Lundbeck is committed to becoming a bionic company, embedding AI into our workflows to complement human expertise and deliver faster results.” — Tarek Samad, SVP, Global Head of Research and Corporate Patents at Lundbeck

AI-powered protein design

Lundbeck is utilizing Cradle’s AI-driven protein design platform to develop multiple high-performing candidates, aiming to accelerate breakthroughs for neurological conditions.

“Lundbeck has a robust biotherapeutic pipeline in CNS and is now strengthening that position with the power of AI across its research and development organization,” says Stef van Grieken, CEO and Co-Founder of Cradle.

Stef van Grieken, CEO and Co-Founder of Cradle. Credit: Stef van Grieken/LinkedIn

“The Cradle platform has demonstrated significant acceleration in design cycles within internal and partner programs. By closing the loop between computation and laboratory testing, we help Lundbeck identify high-quality antibody candidates faster and with fewer iterations.”

Key facts

• Cradle utilizes generative AI and protein language models.
• Founded in 2021 in Amsterdam and Zürich.
• Has secured over US$100 million in funding.
• Integrates machine learning with wet lab testing.
• Collaborates with leading pharmaceutical and agtech companies.

A partnership that embraces AI

This partnership with Cradle supports Lundbeck’s systematic adoption of AI to advance its Focused Innovator strategy.

It complements a recent collaboration with the Danish Centre for AI Innovation, granting Lundbeck access to Denmark’s Gefion AI supercomputer for large-scale scientific modeling and discovery.

Across the organization, Lundbeck estimates that AI-driven initiatives save over 12,000 hours per week through efficiency gains. In drug discovery, AI-enabled structural insights and predictions that previously took months can now be generated in under 24 hours, expanding the searchable scientific space by approximately 50,000 times.

“Lundbeck is committed to becoming a bionic company, embedding AI into our operations to complement human expertise and deliver faster results,” says Tarek Samad, formerly SVP, Global Head of Research and Corporate Patents at Lundbeck, and now Executive Vice President and Global Head, Research and Development at Lundbeck.

Tarek Samad, Executive Vice President & Global Head, Research and Development at Lundbeck Credit: Tarek Samad/LinkedIn

“Our partnership with Cradle aligns perfectly with this commitment, as their platform provides our scientists with powerful AI that integrates seamlessly into our processes, enhancing our ability to discover and optimize therapeutics.”

Key partners

Beyond its collaboration with Lundbeck, Cradle has partnered with other firms:

• Bayer and Cradle have entered a three-year strategic collaboration to deploy Cradle’s scientific AI software platform for protein engineering. As part of this agreement, Bayer will integrate the generative AI platform into existing R&D workflows to enhance lead generation and optimization across its therapeutic antibody pipeline.
• Cradle has partnered with Ginkgo Bioworks, a leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, as part of the Ginkgo Technology Network.
• The company notes that industry leaders such as Novo Nordisk, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, Novonesis, and Grifols utilize Cradle’s technology.