Drug development platforms are always spawning in the endless fight for superiority—there is always a bigger fish with more, for example, throughput or training data. Once in a while, a novel platform class is born, and that’s what Hanadie Yousef, PhD, has done by introducing the world’s first AI-enabled screening platform focused on mapping secreted proteins. This isn’t a bigger fish—it’s an entirely new ecosystem.
Yousef’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed by Big Pharma, as Juvena today announced a major partnership with Lilly that could be transformational for the fledgling clinical-stage company mining the secretome that could strike the next blockbuster drug. The Juvena–Lilly collaboration aims to accelerate the discovery of treatments that help individuals maintain and even improve their muscle mass and function, which is commonly affected by aging.
“Because of the success of the platform we’ve been building and us solving a unique challenge in the field, which is in mapping the therapeutic potential of secreted proteins, we’ve been able to leverage the platform to build our first ever partnership with Lilly,” Yousef told Inside Precision Medicine. “I’m excited to be at this stage and to be partnering with Lilly to embark on the next chapter of growing the platform and the pipeline and bringing our drugs to market to treat people who need it in terms of some of the biggest challenges of our time.”
Insulin for muscle
Secret proteins as therapeutics isn’t exactly an earth-shattering concept—the impact of insulin, erythropoietin (EPO), and antibodies speaks for itself. But only the tip of the secretome iceberg has been explored.
“If we look at blockbuster drugs out there that are already based on secreted proteins, like insulin for diabetes,” said Yousef, “what we realize is that there are many proven examples of the immense potential of taking proteins that are natural to the body, that are already made to have drug-like properties, and harnessing them as regenerative therapies for degenerative diseases.”
But the idea for Juvena was not born out of this observation. Rather, as a graduate student and postdoc at Berkeley and Stanford, respectively, over a decade ago, Yousef was engaged in basic research, studying how protein signaling changes with aging and affects the ability of tissues to maintain health—her work was not to develop a secretome-based therapeutic platform.
Changes in protein signaling result in the loss of healthy signaling necessary for tissue homeostasis, leading to degeneration that ultimately manifests as diseases such as frailty and sarcopenia. This degeneration is further exacerbated by unhealthy aging states experienced by many individuals, along with metabolic impairments or obesity that often worsen these conditions. So, Yousef and colleagues set out to measure these aging-related protein changes, and in doing so, they discovered much more.
By gaining insight into the secretome landscape during aging, Yousef and colleagues could also target pathways to rejuvenate tissue by providing youthful signals to the body’s stem cells, thereby repairing and promoting healthier functioning. They demonstrated that stem cells not only have the capacity to generate various tissues in the body, especially potent stem cells like embryonic stem cells, but also deliver cocktails of purified secreted proteins that can target pathways dysregulated by aging to promote tissue regeneration and repair. In essence, Yousef was able to rejuvenate tissues through this process effectively, and that’s where the idea of Juvena was born.
“The idea behind Juvena was sparked by this concept that if we could leverage the latest in proteomics and different types of artificial intelligence techniques, we could build a platform that enables us to deconvolute these complex proteins and identify which proteins are driving tissue regeneration for a given tissue target or cell type,” said Yousef. “By building that knowledge map, we could then leverage our algorithms and our models to continue to predict proteins that have this therapeutic potential and ultimately accelerate the drug discovery process by harnessing these proteins as therapies.”
Juvena’s platform is unique in its ability to profile proteins secreted by stem cells and other tissues, many of which were previously unknown or poorly characterized. These proteins are screened for their ability to target pathways disrupted by aging and disease. “Our platform allows us to deconvolute the complexity of the secretome and predict which proteins are most likely to promote tissue repair,” said Yousef. “We’ve uncovered dozens of novel proteins with therapeutic potential across multiple organ systems.”
One of Juvena’s most promising candidates is a protein that Yousef and the Juvena team have dubbed the “insulin for muscle.” This protein enhances muscle regeneration and metabolism, potentially addressing age-related muscle loss, or sarcopenia. The candidate is currently in phase 1 clinical trials. “We’re developing therapies that not only preserve muscle but also improve overall metabolic health,” said Yousef. “Our ultimate goal is to enhance healthspan—the period of life spent in good health.”
Regeneration’s new lens
The collaboration with Lilly marks a significant milestone for Juvena. The partnership will focus on discovering and developing therapies that improve muscle health and body composition, addressing conditions such as obesity and metabolic syndrome. Under the terms of the agreement, Juvena will leverage its platform to identify lead candidates. Lilly will gain exclusive rights to these candidates for further development and commercialization. Juvena is poised to receive over $650 million in potential milestone payments, in addition to royalties on future sales.
Lilly’s expertise in muscle biology complements Juvena’s focus on secreted proteins, creating a synergistic relationship poised to accelerate the development of transformative therapies. “This partnership validates our platform and provides the resources to scale our research,” said Yousef. “Together, we’re tackling some of the biggest challenges in aging and metabolic health.”
While the partnership with Lilly focuses on muscle and metabolic health, Juvena’s platform has broader applications. “Our platform’s ability to map secreted proteins to specific tissues and pathways opens up a world of possibilities,” said Yousef. “We’re not just addressing aging—we’re targeting the root causes of chronic and degenerative diseases.”
The company has identified therapeutic candidates for diseases ranging from osteoarthritis to liver fibrosis. Juvena’s research has also revealed new insights into disease biology. By uncovering previously unknown secreted proteins, the company is identifying novel targets and mechanisms that could redefine how we approach therapy development.
By harnessing the power of secreted proteins, Juvena is addressing the complex interplay of aging, metabolism, and tissue degeneration. “We’re building a pipeline of tissue-restorative biologics that address some of the most pressing unmet needs in medicine,” said Yousef. “Our approach has the potential to fundamentally change how we treat diseases associated with aging.”
The collaboration with Lilly is just the beginning. With a proven platform and a growing pipeline, Juvena is poised to make a lasting impact on the field of biotechnology. “This is a momentous step for us,” said Yousef. “We’re excited to see how our work can transform lives and redefine what’s possible in regenerative medicine.”
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