Gilead Sciences has partnered with Insitro, a drug development startup, to tackle non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Gilead will use Insitro's AI-based platform to create disease models for NAFLD, as well as discover targets deemed to influence the clinical progression and regression of the disease. NAFLD is considered to represent a major cause of significant hepatic fibrosis. Gilead Sciences has patent activity in treating liver disease using inhibitor drugs; however, the company does not have any patent protection on using artificial intelligence in this process. Meanwhile, there are several other companies present in this patent arena potentially posing a threat to Gilead's future enterprise.