Curevac AG's efforts in upgrading its mRNA vaccine platform over the past decade helped lead to its largest collaboration to date, a pact with Eli Lilly and Co. that comes with a $50 million up-front payment, an equity investment of €45 million (US$53 million) and up to $1.7 billion in potential milestones if all five cancer vaccine candidates are developed, plus tiered royalties on any products that make it to market.