DeepMind spinoff Isomorphic Labs prepares to test AI-designed drugs in humans

Isomorphic Labs, the biotech company spun out of Google DeepMind, says it is preparing to begin human clinical trials of drugs designed entirely by artificial intelligence. Company president Max Jaderberg told attendees at WIRED Health in London on April 16 that the firm is “gearing up to go into the clinic,” though he did not provide a specific timeline. The announcement comes later than the company had originally targeted; last year, DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis said AI-designed drugs would reach clinical trials by the end of 2025. Founded in 2021 as an Alphabet subsidiary, Isomorphic Labs uses DeepMind’s AlphaFold platform to predict protein structures and identify drug candidates. AlphaFold 2, unveiled in 2020, used deep-learning techniques to solve a decades-old problem of predicting how chains of amino acids fold into functional proteins. An updated version, AlphaFold 3, broadened the scope in 2024 to model interactions between proteins and other molecules, including DNA and RNA. The breakthrough earned Hassabis and colleague John Jumper the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2024. This year, Isomorphic Labs introduced IsoDDE, a proprietary drug-design engine it says more than doubles the accuracy of AlphaFold 3. Jaderberg told the WIRED Health audience that the company’s AI-designed molecules are “engineered to be very, very potent,” which could mean lower doses and fewer off-target side effects. The startup has formed drug-discovery partnerships with Eli Lilly and Novartis and is advancing its own pipeline in oncology and immunology. Last year, Isomorphic Labs raised $600 million in its first funding round and appointed a chief medical officer to lead its clinical development team. Hassabis has described the company’s mission as aiming to “solve all disease.”