Variant Bio announced a multi-year research collaboration and licence agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim. The partnership will focus on the discovery and validation of novel targets for cardiorenal and kidney disease, leveraging Variant Bio's AI-powered Inference platform, which integrates proprietary genomic, deep phenotyping and multi-omic data from studies with global populations.

Kidney diseases are among the most urgent health challenges, affecting more than 850 million people worldwide and placing a major burden on healthcare systems. By uniting the power of AI-driven discovery with Boehringer Ingelheim's legacy of innovation, this collaboration is set to accelerate the discovery of transformative therapies–turning genetic insights into real-world impact for millions of people living with kidney disease.

"This strategic partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim marks another key milestone for Variant Bio and demonstrates the power of our Inference platform. 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," said Andrew Farnum, CEO, Variant Bio.

Variant Bio's Inference platform uses Large Language Model (LLM) technology, Machine Learning (ML) and advanced statistical genetics to analyse hundreds of billions of data points, moving from genetic association to validated therapeutic hypotheses in a fraction of the time of traditional methods.

"We look forward to working with Variant's scientists and harnessing their unique platform. Discovering novel, genetically validated targets is pivotal to developing next–generation, first–in–class treatments that can transform the lives of people with kidney disease," said Soren Tullin, Global Head—Cardiovascular-Renal-Metabolic Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim.

Under the terms of the agreement, Variant Bio will receive an upfront payment, and is eligible for potential licence and milestone payments totaling over USD 120 million.