Novartis signed a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Unnatural Products (UNP) to apply UNP’s AI‑guided macrocyclic peptide platform toward cardiovascular disease targets. The deal includes substantial upfront and milestone payments and could deliver up to $1.8 billion plus tiered royalties. Novartis will assume IND‑enabling studies and global development responsibilities. The partnership pairs UNP’s discovery engine—melding AI, parallel synthesis and direct‑to‑biology screening—with Novartis’ development and commercialization scale, targeting previously ‘undruggable’ protein interfaces with orally bioavailable macrocycles.