Chai tees up Bristol Myers Squibb AI antibody discovery collab

MedTech Chai tees up Bristol Myers Squibb AI antibody discovery collab By Ben Adams Aug 20, 2026 10:55am Bristol Myers Squibb antibody drugs Biotech MedTech A month after Chai Discovery tied up a major $400 million series C funding round, the AI drug discovery firm has teamed up with Bristol Myers Squibb. San Francisco-based Chai develops AI models that predict and reprogram the interactions between molecules. It’s no stranger to Big Pharma pacts, either, having already lined up R&D deals with Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Novartis.

Now, BMS is added to that list, with the pair planning to work together “to advance the discovery of therapeutic antibodies using artificial intelligence,” according to an Aug. 20 release. BMS said it would tap Chai’s “AI models and platform capabilities, including its leading molecular folding and design models,” though specific targets and disease areas within that antibody focus were not revealed.

Related Chai brews up $400M series C to fuel AI molecule models used by Lilly, Novartis and Pfizer The collaboration will also “further its efforts to build an AI-powered, continuously learning discovery system," Bristol said. “We’re thrilled to partner with Bristol Myers Squibb to deploy our technology, including toward diverse drug targets,” said Joshua Meier, co-founder and CEO of Chai Discovery, in a statement. “By combining Chai’s advanced AI models with Bristol Myers Squibb’s deep therapeutic expertise, we hope to rapidly accelerate the timeline from concept to viable therapeutic candidates.” Financial details from the pact were not disclosed.

BMS currently focuses its antibody research on antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies across several disease areas. Chai’s total funding haul has, since its series C, now reached beyond $600 million. That latest round also valued the startup at $3.8 billion.

Bristol Myers Squibb antibody drugs Biotech MedTech