January 2, 2026 – Insilico Medicine (“Insilico”, 03696.HK), a clinical-stage biotechnology company driven by generative artificial intelligence (AI), announced the milestone in its collaboration with Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Hisun” 600267.SH). Leveraging its proprietary Pharma.AI platform, Insilico successfully nominated a preclinical candidate (PCC) just 8 months after the two parties entered a strategic collaboration.
The collaboration launched in April 2025, when Mr. Xiao Weihong, Chairman and President of Hisun Pharmaceutical, and Dr. Feng Ren, Co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine, signed the strategic agreement on innovative drug R&D at Hisun’s R&D headquarters. Under the agreement, the two companies will fully utilize their respective strengths to jointly advance AI-driven drug discovery for selected targets in specific indications. Insilico is responsible for early-stage research from target identification to PCC nomination, while Hisun will conduct the studies required for investigational new drug (IND) applications and lead subsequent clinical development.
Over the past 8 months, empowered by the Pharma.AI platform, Insilico efficiently completed early research for the program, including the preclinical studies required to support PCC nomination. The preclinical data generated by Insilico met the jointly defined PCC criteria and were endorsed by Hisun. Moving forward, Hisun will take over and continue the program, conducting IND-enabling studies and preparing to submit the clinical trial application to regulatory authorities as soon as possible.
“We are pleased that our collaboration with Hisun reach its first milestone in such a short period of time. It is another vivid example of how AI can drive innovation in early-stage drug research. “Said Feng Ren, PhD, Co-CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine. “The joint program focuses on a relatively novel target and addresses disease area with substantial unmet medical needs, which is exactly where AI can make a meaningful impact. With the support of our Pharma.AI platform, we can systematically explore a broad biological and chemical space in a shorter time frame, bringing more innovative treatment options to patients and further strengthening our confidence in AI’s potential to empower drug R&D.”
“We are deeply impressed by the speed and quality with which this collaboration achieved PCC nomination within 8 months.” Said Weihong Xiao, Chairman and President of Hisun Pharmaceutical. “It fully demonstrates the acceleration, and efficiency gains that AI can bring to drug development. Our work with Insilico not only enhances Hisun’s innovation capabilities in early-stage drug discovery but also marks an important step forward in our digital and intelligent transformation. By deeply integrating traditional pharmaceutical expertise with cutting-edge AI technologies, Hisun will be able to build a comprehensive pipeline with higher quality and greater efficiency and continuously provide patients with more valuable treatment options.”
Previously, Insilico achieved AI-driven drug discovery collaborations with companies including Fosun Pharma, Sanofi, and Lilly, and has delivered R&D milestones across multiple collaborations. By integrating advanced AI and automation technologies, Insilico has significantly improved the efficiency of early-stage drug development in real-world practices, setting a benchmark for AI-driven drug discovery. Whereas traditional early-stage drug discovery typically requires 2.5 to 4 years, more than 20 of Insilico’s internal programs initiated between 2021 and 2024 achieved PCC nomination in just 12 to 18 months on average, with only about 60–200 molecules synthesized and tested per program.
About Insilico Medicine
Insilico Medicine is a pioneering global biotechnology company dedicated to integrating artificial intelligence and automation technologies to accelerate drug discovery, drive innovation in the life sciences, and extend health longevity to people on the plant. The company was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on December 30, 2025, under the stock code 03696.HK.
By integrating AI and automation technologies and deep in-house drug discovery capabilities, Insilico is delivering innovative drug solutions for unmet needs including fibrosis, oncology, immunology, pain, and obesity and metabolic disorders. Additionally, Insilico extends the reach of Pharma.AI across diverse industries, such as advanced materials, agriculture, nutritional products and veterinary medicine. For more information, please visit www.insilico.com