Google DeepMind’s somewhat secretive spinoff, Isomorphic Labs, appears to be moving closer to a significant milestone in the world of drug development. How, you wonder? The company, which launched in 2021 after DeepMind’s AlphaFold breakthrough, is preparing for its first human trials of drugs designed with artificial intelligence. Their aim? To speed up the process of drug discovery, cut costs, and improve the odds of success in getting new medicines to patients.
How does it work?
AlphaFold, the technology at the heart of Isomorphic Labs, made a name for itself by predicting the 3D structure of proteins. This ability has given scientists a clearer view of how proteins interact with other molecules which is essential for designing new drugs. Isomorphic Labs has taken this foundation and built a team that combines AI researchers with pharmaceutical experts. The company’s work is focused on diseases like cancer and immunology, areas where new treatments are badly needed.
In addition, the company has secured partnerships with major pharmaceutical firms, including Novartis and Eli Lilly. These collaborations are designed to support both existing drug programmes and the development of new, in-house drug candidates. According to president Colin Murdoch, Isomorphic Labs is now close to moving its AI-designed drugs into human clinical trials, as reported by Fortune. Teams in London are now seeing several candidates who’ve been put through preclinical testing and the next step is to test these drugs in people.
The Isomorphic story
In April 2025, Isomorphic Labs raised $600 million in a funding round led by Thrive Capital. This funding is being used to expand the company’s AI infrastructure and support clinical development. Their goal? To create a drug design system that can identify unmet medical needs, design drug candidates, and move them into clinical trials faster and with a greater chance of success than traditional methods – all using AI!
Drug development is known for being expensive and slow, with a low success rate once trials begin. Isomorphic Labs believes its approach can improve efficiency and raise the odds that a drug will work before it even reaches human testing because of AI. The company is also working on its own internal drug design programmes, with the intention of licensing out successful candidates after early-stage trials.
Human trials have not yet started, but the company is preparing for this next phase. The outcome of these trials will provide the first real data on whether AI-designed drugs can perform as expected in people, which will be exciting to see.
