To “cure all diseases” someday, Isomorphic Labs is ready to begin human trials of its AI-designed drugs.
Artificial intelligence has a terrible reputation among the general public for many reasons, primarily due to its love for misinformation and the unnecessary integration of its capabilities in every app and platform where it isn’t useful. Out to make a bigger difference, Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs is exploring a much more useful application of AI. The Google DeepMind subsidiary is set to begin human trials for AI-designed drugs, marking a big step forward for the medical industry. The Isomorphic Labs trials were announced by President Colin Murdoch, who confirmed that the study was headed into its next phase of testing.
It is entirely reasonable to be wary of this new application of AI, as it could come with great risks and expenses if unsuccessful, but DeepMind’s ambitions for finding cures for various conditions could lead us to medical evolution that has been a long time coming. A strategic study of the potential effects of these AI-designed drugs could eventually lead to solutions for untreatable conditions, making it a critical area to focus our attention on.
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Human Trials for AI-Designed Drugs Are Set to Begin Shortly At Isomorphic Labs
Isomorphic Labs, a subsidiary of Google DeepMind, has been around since 2021, utilizing artificial intelligence for explorations in the field of medicine. DeepMind made some significant breakthroughs in its medical investigations in 2020 with AlphaFold2, and soon decided to create a dedicated team to focus on this area of investigation. Isomorphic Labs’s AI ambitions in “digital biology” were established with the mission to “reimagine the entire drug discovery process from first principles with an AI-first approach, and ultimately, to model and understand some of the fundamental mechanisms of life.”
When the company released AlphaFold 3 in 2024, it also announced collaborations with big industry names like Novartis and Eli Lilly, eventually going on to raise $600 million in its first external funding round. AlphaFold continues to play a key role in the company’s drug discovery process even today, with the goal of building a “world-class drug design engine” to infuse the capabilities of AI in the results presented by the pharma industry.
AI Drug Trials Update—Where Does Isomorphic Labs Stand Now?
Not much is known about the exact nature of the drugs that are being tested and what conditions they aim to address. AI-fueled company Isomorphic Labs only revealed that it was set to start human trials for its AI-designed drugs to check the efficacy of the produced material and whether it could provide a real solution to the conditions being tested here. Cancer treatment is one of the possible areas of investigation, however, there is no discussion of the full scale of these tests.
Successful results in the trial could not only open them up to the potential for distribution but also expand on the kind of conditions that could be treated in the future. We are likely still a few years away from widespread availability of AI-designed drugs as extensive testing will be required before we get to the production and distribution stage, but such a use case for AI does look promising.
The decision to proceed with human trials shows that Isomorphic Labs has a certain level of confidence in these AI-designed drugs, however, it is too early to celebrate its results. The process of bringing a drug is filled with regulatory challenges and safety tests to ensure it is safe to use. While AI might be able to speed up the drug discovery process, it cannot help in the phases that come after, where repeated testing and verification are necessary to validate its claims of being a viable solution to the condition that it aims to treat.
AI Use In the Field of Medicine Is Gaining Ground
Isomorphic Labs’ trials for its AI-designed drugs certainly sound promising, but it isn’t the only company working to use AI for advancements in the field of medicine. Biotechnology company Insilico Medicine has been making advancements of its own for years by relying on its Pharma.AI platform. The Rentosertib investigational drug, designed for the treatment of a form of chronic lung disease known as Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), has reportedly advanced through multiple clinical trials as well. There is still some way to go before it becomes a common treatment avenue, but there is progress being made.
From Recursion Pharmaceuticals to Lantern Pharma, there are multiple businesses that are working hard to explore the potential applications of AI in medicine, not just in drug discovery but patient treatment planning and exploration. From aiding students with medicine practice via AI to investing in the exploration of illnesses, there are groundbreaking changes occurring all around. Groundbreaking technology is only as useful as its potential applications, and we can’t think of a better space to apply LLMs and AI.
We haven’t yet reached the point of having an approved drug on the market that was developed with the aid of AI tools, but we appear to be moving closer to a future where it will be possible.
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