DeepMind targets AI-designed drug trials by year-end

Isomorphic Labs, a Google DeepMind spin-off, aims to launch clinical trials for drugs designed using AI by the end of the year, according to CEO and Nobel laureate Demis Hassabis.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Hassabis outlined the company’s ambitious goal to revolutionize drug discovery. 

“We’ll hopefully have some AI-designed drugs in clinical trials by the end of the year,” he said. 

Isomorphic Labs seeks to cut the typical drug discovery timeline from over a decade to just “weeks or months,” making use of AI’s ability to process massive datasets efficiently.

Hassabis, alongside DeepMind scientist John Jumper and a US professor, won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for groundbreaking work in protein structure prediction. Their AlphaFold technology, first launched in 2018, has evolved into a sophisticated tool capable of modeling molecular structures like DNA and RNA and predicting their interactions. This innovation is foundational to Isomorphic Labs’ efforts in AI-driven drug design.

Despite the promise of AI, pharmaceutical companies remain cautious. A December report by Bloomberg Intelligence noted mixed initial data for clinical candidates developed with AI. However, collaborations between tech and pharmaceutical giants are growing. Isomorphic Labs has already partnered with Eli Lilly & Co. and Novartis AG for strategic research initiatives.

Founded in 2021, Isomorphic Labs aims to commercialize DeepMind’s AI for drug discovery. With AlphaFold now in its third iteration, the technology is positioned as a key player in addressing the inefficiencies of traditional drug development.

Hassabis tempered excitement by noting the industry remains far from achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), where AI could outperform humans on most tasks. 

“A small handful of probably big breakthroughs are needed,” he said, predicting a potential five-year timeline for such advancements.

As Isomorphic Labs pushes toward its goal, its progress could signal a game-changing shift in how drugs are developed, possibly leading to faster, more precise solutions to global health challenges.

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