Chugai Partners With Gero in $1B+ AI-Driven Push to Treat Aging Diseases

Highlights

• Chugai Pharmaceutical has entered a potentially $1B+ collaboration with AI biotech firm Gero to target age-related diseases.
• Gero's AI platform will identify disease targets, while Chugai develops antibody drug candidates.
• Chugai has committed up to $250 million in milestone payments, plus royalties on sales.
• The partnership grants Chugai exclusive global rights to resulting therapeutics.
• This move is part of Chugai's strategic goal to become a global innovation leader by 2030.
• Gero previously signed a similar target discovery deal with Pfizer in 2023.
• Chugai continues to integrate AI into drug development, including recent partnerships with SoftBank and Preferred Networks.

Strategic Alliance Targets Age-Related Diseases

Chugai Pharmaceutical, a Tokyo-based biopharmaceutical company majority-owned by Roche, has entered into a significant research collaboration with Singapore-based AI biotech company Gero. This alliance focuses on the discovery and development of antibody-based therapies targeting age-related diseases and has a potential deal value exceeding $1 billion.

According to the companies, "The partnership will give Chugai access to Gero's artificial intelligence technology to discover novel targets in aging-related diseases. Chugai will then develop antibody-based drugs based on the findings." Chugai will utilize its proprietary antibody engineering capabilities to develop drug candidates aimed at the targets uncovered by Gero's AI platform.

Structure and Scope of the Collaboration

Under the terms of the agreement, Chugai will gain exclusive global rights to any antibody drugs generated from the partnership. While the initial payment remains undisclosed, Chugai has committed to up to $250 million in milestone payments tied to developmental and commercial progress. Additionally, royalties on future product sales could bring the total value of the deal to over $1 billion.

A Gero representative confirmed the structure of the deal in an email to BioSpace, stating that "Chugai will make an undisclosed upfront payment and put up approximately $250 million if certain unannounced development or sales milestones are reached."

Gero's AI Platform and Mission

Gero's AI platform is designed to analyze longitudinal medical records and physical models to predict human health outcomes. This technology is at the core of the collaboration, enabling the identification of new therapeutic targets associated with aging.

In a statement, Gero CEO Peter Fedichev emphasized the broader mission: "Our AI platform is built to identify therapeutic targets that drive multiple age-related diseases and potentially aging itself... This partnership with Chugai is an important step toward achieving Gero's mission: to meaningfully target the biological processes of human aging."

Although specific diseases were not disclosed, Gero aims to address the “root causes of age-related diseases.” The company, which raised $6 million in Series A funding in 2023, does not yet have a public drug pipeline. In a prior deal with Pfizer in January 2023, Gero applied its platform to fibrotic disease research.

Chugai's Expanding Use of AI in Biopharma

Chugai has been an early adopter of AI technologies in pharmaceutical R&D. The company previously partnered with Preferred Networks in 2018, investing approximately ￥700 million (about $5 million) to access deep learning platforms. More recently, in January 2025, Chugai collaborated with Japanese investment giant SoftBank to develop generative AI tools aimed at optimizing clinical trial workflows and reducing personnel costs.

These strategic initiatives are part of Chugai's broader ambition to evolve into "the world's top innovator, not just in Japan" by 2030. The company is currently advancing a diverse drug development pipeline in areas such as oncology, immunology, neurology, hematology, and ophthalmology. Additional exploratory efforts, including obesity treatment programs, extend beyond its core focus.