Merck entered an antibody discovery collaboration with Infinimmune, with total potential payments up to $838 million for candidates that advance into clinical development and commercialization. Merck will have exclusive rights to develop and commercialize antibodies discovered through the deal. Infinimmune’s approach uses AI and a dataset drawn from human memory B cells, aimed at finding targets and producing antibody candidates with improved differentiation. The startup has programs focused on cytokine biology including IL-22 and IL-13, which connect to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. For the antibody landscape, the deal is another signal that large pharma continues to outsource early discovery while insisting on human-first inputs—seeking faster path-to-clinic candidates amid competitive immunology pipelines.