WoltLab Burning Board

Alphabet's DeepMind announced that its AlphaFold 2 AI shows it can predict how certain proteins will fold in a way that can compete with slot experimental data. The news was enthusiastically received by the scientific community. But at the time it was not clear what the development would mean in practice. Now we have a better idea with Alphabeth announcing the creation of a new subsidiary, Isomorphic Labs.

According to the company, its goal is to "rethink" the new drug development process using an AI-centered approach. "We believe that using the fundamentals of cutting-edge computation and AI," said Demis Hassabis, Founder and CEO of Isomorphic Labs. can help scientists take their work to the next level. DeepMind CEO Hassabis will serve as the startup's chief executive while building and hiring additional staff.

Isomorphic Labs isn't the first or the only company to say it plans to improve drug development with the help of AI. Since 2012, a University of Toronto startup called Atomwise has a similar vision. They're both trying to tackle the rising cost of drug development. A recent 2020 study found it costs an average of $1.3 billion to create new drugs.

Many involve the process itself. Today, researchers synthesize each and every promising compound and test it to see if it is safe for humans. And as they try to develop more complex treatments, Fewer drugs are going through human trials.