Isomorphic Labs, an AI-driven drug discovery company originating from Google’s DeepMind, has secured its first external funding round totaling $600 million. The investment was spearheaded by Thrive Capital, with contributions from GV and Alphabet, Google’s parent company. This capital infusion aims to advance the development of the company’s proprietary AI-powered drug design platform and accelerate the progression of its drug candidates into clinical trials.
Established in 2021 by DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis, Isomorphic Labs builds on breakthroughs from DeepMind’s AI research, including AlphaFold—a revolutionary model capable of predicting protein structures with high accuracy. The technology has become a cornerstone for accelerating drug development by enabling researchers to understand complex biological interactions more efficiently.
In 2023, Isomorphic Labs announced high-value partnerships with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novartis. These collaborations, which could yield up to $3 billion in milestone-based payments, grant the companies access to Isomorphic’s AI tools to streamline their drug discovery pipelines. The partnerships underscore the growing industry confidence in AI-driven approaches to tackling diseases.
Hassabis emphasized that while the company was not in urgent need of capital, the new funding will bolster its ability to attract leading scientific talent. Expanding its team of researchers and engineers is seen as critical to maintaining Isomorphic’s competitive edge in the rapidly evolving field of computational biology.
Notably, Hassabis and DeepMind researcher John Jumper were awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking work on AlphaFold. This recognition highlights the transformative potential of AI in advancing scientific understanding and accelerating medical breakthroughs.
