On June 16, 2026, 4E Therapeutics, an Austin-based neuroscience company developing next-generation treatments for chronic pain, announced that it has been acquired by Eli Lilly and Company. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised 4E Therapeutics on the transaction.

4E Therapeutics is developing a pipeline of orally available MNK inhibitors designed to treat chronic pain by targeting the MNK-eIF4E signaling pathway in peripheral sensory neurons. The compounds are intended to deliver meaningful pain relief while avoiding the central nervous system effects associated with many existing therapeutics. The company's lead compound, 4ET1103, is the first MNK inhibitor developed to treat pain to advance to human clinical trials, where it demonstrated a favorable safety profile in a Phase 1 study.

The Wilson Sonsini team that advised 4E Therapeutics on the transaction includes:

Corporate
Matt Lyons
Brian Appel
Victor MacDiarmid
Daniel Cowan
Karen Becker
Delee Skipper
Nathaniel Siegel

Technology Transactions
Alexander Key
Isaiah Loya
Aleksandar Vitomirov

Employee Benefits and Compensation
Michael Klippert
Lori Howey

FDA Regulatory
Eva Yin

Tax
Myra Sutanto Shen
Anjali Krishnan

Employment Law
Aren Balabanian

For more information, please see 4E Therapeutics’ news release.