Merck entered a new AI-enabled biologics discovery collaboration with Protillion Biosciences, expanding use of Protillion’s “lab-in-the-loop” on-chip antibody platform. Under the multi-target discovery and license agreement, Merck will use Protillion’s Prot-MaP system—built to generate quantitative binding datasets at megascale—while Merck applies its global therapeutic discovery expertise. The deal structure includes up to $510 million in milestone payments. The partnership underscores how late-stage AI hype is shifting toward platform-based dataset generation, where wet-lab throughput and feedback loops are positioned as the critical differentiators for optimizing antibody candidates.