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Early platform collaboration; optionality over near-term value
Full analysis, sources & comparables →Protillion Biosciences announces drug discovery collaboration with Merck; undisclosed upfront plus up to $510M in milestones, leveraging the Prot-MaP platform.
Merck inks $510M biobucks data-generation partnership with Protillion.
Merck, Protillion launch AI drug discovery collaboration with up to $510M in milestone payments; initial programs target inflammatory diseases.
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On June 16, 2026, Merck & Co. and Protillion Biosciences announced a drug-discovery collaboration. Protillion is eligible for an undisclosed upfront payment plus up to $510 million in research, development, and commercial milestones. The collaboration applies Protillion's Prot-MaP (Protein Display on a Massively Parallel Array) platform — which can test up to ~1 million protein variants in a single experiment to generate training data for AI-driven protein/biologics design — alongside Merck's drug-discovery capabilities. Initial programs target inflammatory diseases, with potential expansion to additional therapeutic areas.
| Deal | Year | Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Protillion Biosciences, Inc. (this deal) | 2026 | $510M | 48 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Acceleron Pharma Inc. | 2021 | $11.5B | 90 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Peloton Therapeutics Inc. | 2019 | $2.2B | 88 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / AstraZeneca PLC | 2017 | $8.5B | 87 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Moderna, Inc. | 2022 | $250M | 86 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Moderna, Inc. | 2016 | $250M | 84 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Eisai Co., Ltd. | 2018 | $5.8B | 83 |
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