Google-backed Isomorphic Labs to start human trials for AI Drugs
News snapshot
- AI-designed drugs are nearing clinical trials
- Drug ventures are backed by $600mln funding and partnerships
- Discoveries driven by DeepMind’s AlphaFold tech
Google-backed Isomorphic Labs is preparing to launch human trials for its AI-designed drugs, according to company president Colin Murdoch.
Formed in 2021 from DeepMind’s AlphaFold breakthrough, Isomorphic aims to dramatically speed up drug development by using artificial intelligence to design more effective treatments at lower costs.
Isomorphic Labs confirmed that the company is “getting very close” to beginning trials, adding that “the next big milestone is actually going out to clinical trials, starting to put these things into human beings.”
Based in King’s Cross, London, the company’s researchers collaborate with AI tools to develop treatments for diseases like cancer.
Isomorphic’s approach combines machine learning models with the expertise of pharmaceutical scientists.
The company recently raised $600 million in its first external funding round led by Thrive Capital and has forged partnerships with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novartis.
Industry collaborations support partner-led drug programs and Isomorphic’s in-house development pipeline, in oncology and immunology.
Isomorphic’s platform leverages AlphaFold’s capability to predict protein structures and molecular interactions, which Murdoch believes will significantly raise success rates in clinical trials.
