Key points from article :
UK-based biotech company Ochre Bio has entered a multi-year collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim to develop regenerative therapies for chronic liver diseases (CLDs), including late-stage metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) cirrhosis. The partnership combines Ochre Bio’s strength in human-based disease models with Boehringer’s expertise in drug development to create treatments that enhance the liver’s natural ability to repair itself.
Ochre Bio will use its AI-driven discovery platform, which integrates machine learning, genomic analysis, and advanced imaging, to identify and validate new therapeutic targets for liver regeneration. The company’s RNA chemistry expertise and proprietary ex-vivo human organ perfusion models—which allow testing on human livers outside the body—will be central to uncovering how these targets can be modulated for therapeutic benefit.
Under the terms of the deal, Ochre Bio could receive over $1 billion in total value, including $35 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments, with additional payments tied to clinical, regulatory, and commercial achievements, as well as tiered royalties on future sales. The collaboration reflects growing interest in regenerative approaches to chronic liver conditions, a major global health burden with limited treatment options.
According to Søren Tullin, Boehringer’s Global Head of Cardiometabolic Diseases Research, the partnership is driven by a shared goal to advance treatments for chronic liver diseases using next-generation tools such as genomics and machine learning. The deal builds on Boehringer’s broader strategy of leveraging innovative biotech partnerships, following its earlier 2025 agreement with Sosei Heptares to develop novel therapies for schizophrenia.
