Isomorphic Labs raises US $600 million to accelerate AI drug discovery

U.K. – Isomorphic Labs, the AI-driven drug discovery startup born from Alphabet’s DeepMind project, has successfully raised $600 million in its first external funding round.

The financing was led by Thrive Capital with participation from GV and Alphabet itself. This monumental investment aims to propel Isomorphic Labs’ artificial intelligence-powered drug discovery engine, advance its pipeline, and expand its workforce.

Founded in 2021 and headquartered in London, UK, Isomorphic Labs has been developing state-of-the-art AI models designed to revolutionize how new medicines are discovered.

Its flagship model, AlphaFold 3, can predict intricate structures and interactions of proteins, DNA, RNA, and other biomolecules with “unprecedented accuracy.”

This technological breakthrough builds on the success of AlphaFold, which solved the decades-old problem of predicting protein folding in 2020.

“We’re excited to bring together a top-tier investor group with deep AI and life sciences expertise as we aim to transform this industry through an interdisciplinary approach,” said Sir Demis Hassabis, founder of Isomorphic Labs and DeepMind.

“This funding will further turbocharge the development of our next-generation AI drug design engine, help us advance our own programs into clinical development, and is a significant step forward towards our mission of one day solving all disease with the help of AI.”

Partnering with pharma giants

Since its inception, Isomorphic Labs has attracted the attention of major pharmaceutical companies such as Eli Lilly and Novartis.

The companies have collectively pledged nearly US $3 billion towards their partnerships with Isomorphic, including more than US $80 million upfront.

Novartis recently expanded its alliance with Isomorphic Labs, adding three additional research programs “on the same financial terms as the original agreement.”

Thrive Capital’s founder and CEO, Joshua Kushner, praised Isomorphic Labs’ potential, stating, “Isomorphic has earned a rare position to define a new age of drug discovery and design, and we are deeply inspired by their mission and the extraordinary progress they have made to date.”

Pioneering AI-powered drug discovery

Isomorphic Labs’ AI models, including the latest AlphaFold 3, are not only predicting the structure of proteins but also understanding the relationships between various biomolecules, including DNA and RNA.

This breakthrough technology is being applied to the discovery of new medicines aimed at treating cancer and immunological diseases.

Isomorphic’s technology platform has already demonstrated significant potential in developing a robust drug discovery portfolio.

With the fresh infusion of US $600 million in funding, the company aims to accelerate the development of its AI drug design engine and bring in-house candidates to clinical trials.

“This investment will help us accelerate our programs into clinical development and bring us closer to our mission of one day solving all disease with the help of AI,” Hassabis reiterated.