Eli Lilly entered a discovery and option collaboration with Suzhou Sanegene Bio centered on Sanegene’s Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery (LEAD) tissue‑selective RNAi technology. The agreement carries up to $1.2 billion in milestone and commercial payments, with an undisclosed upfront and an equity investment backing the deal. Under the pact Sanegene will identify optimized LEAD-based RNAi molecules for metabolic targets and Lilly will advance selected candidates through IND-enabling work and beyond. The deal underscores big pharma appetite for durable RNA therapeutics and for delivery platforms that broaden tissue targeting and dosing intervals.