Santa Cruz, Calif., February, 2026 — Unnatural Products, Inc. (UNP) today announced a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Novartis to develop next-generation macrocyclic peptide therapeutics targeting historically “undruggable” biological pathways, with an initial focus in cardiovascular disease.
The partnership combines UNP’s AI-enhanced macrocycle discovery platform with Novartis’ global development and commercialization capabilities. Under the agreement, Novartis will lead IND-enabling studies and assume responsibility for clinical development, manufacturing and worldwide commercialization of any resulting therapies.
Financial and Strategic Scope
UNP is eligible to receive up to $100 million in upfront and pre-IND milestone payments, along with as much as $1.7 billion in development, regulatory and commercial milestones. The company may also receive tiered royalties ranging from mid-single to low double digits on annual net sales.
The transaction underscores growing pharmaceutical interest in macrocyclic peptide therapeutics—an emerging modality designed to bridge the precision of biologics with the drug-like flexibility of small molecules.
A Platform Built for Complex Targets
Macrocyclic peptides are increasingly recognized for their ability to engage protein–protein interactions and structurally complex targets that conventional small molecules struggle to modulate. UNP’s integrated discovery engine leverages:
- AI-guided molecular design
- Massively parallel macrocycle synthesis
- Direct-to-biology screening
- Optimization for both oral and injectable delivery
This convergence of machine learning and experimental chemistry aims to generate highly potent and selective macrocycles suitable for chronic diseases with significant unmet need.
Expanding Cardiovascular Innovation
For Novartis, the collaboration strengthens its cardiovascular innovation pipeline by introducing a differentiated modality capable of addressing previously inaccessible targets.
Macrocycle advances may enable dose-efficient therapies with improved pharmacological versatility, particularly in complex cardiovascular pathways where traditional approaches have shown limitations.
The alliance also reflects a broader industry movement in 2026 toward AI-integrated chemistry platforms capable of accelerating modality diversification across therapeutic areas.
Industry Implications
This agreement highlights three converging trends:
- AI-enabled chemistry is moving upstream into modality innovation, not just target discovery.
- Large pharmaceutical companies are increasingly licensing platform-enabled assets rather than single molecules.
- Macrocyclic peptides are gaining traction as a scalable therapeutic class for difficult-to-drug biology.
Looking Ahead
As AI-enhanced chemistry reshapes therapeutic design, the collaboration between Unnatural Products and Novartis positions macrocyclic peptides at the forefront of next-generation drug development.
The central strategic question remains: can AI-accelerated macrocycle platforms consistently convert complex biological insights into clinically and commercially differentiated medicines?
If successful, this partnership could mark a pivotal step in redefining how the industry approaches some of the most challenging targets in cardiovascular disease and beyond.
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