Aug 14 (Reuters) -

Superluminal Medicines said on Thursday it had signed a deal

with U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly ( LLY ) worth up to $1.3 billion

to discover and develop obesity drugs.

The deal will give Lilly access to Superluminal's

proprietary platform to discover drug targets related to

cardiometabolic diseases and obesity.

Superluminal's lead oral obesity drug candidate is

expected to begin human trials next year.

As part of the deal, Superluminal is eligible to receive

upfront and milestone payments, an equity investment as well as

tiered royalties on net sales, the company said.