DeepMind’s Isomorphic Labs Nears Human Trials for AI-Designed Drugs
Introduction: A New Model for Drug Discovery
Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs is moving closer to a critical milestone: human clinical trials for AI-designed drugs. Spun out from DeepMind in 2021, the company is combining artificial intelligence and pharmaceutical science to develop medicines faster and more accurately. According to Colin Murdoch, president of Isomorphic Labs and chief business officer at DeepMind, testing could begin soon.
“We’re staffing up now. We’re getting very close,” Murdoch said.
AlphaFold: The Technology Behind the Breakthrough
Isomorphic Labs was born from DeepMind’s AlphaFold, a powerful AI system that predicts protein structures with high accuracy. AlphaFold’s early versions modeled static proteins. Newer versions now simulate how proteins interact with other molecules, including DNA and potential drugs. These advances made AlphaFold useful beyond research—it became a tool for drug discovery.
“This was the inspiration for Isomorphic Labs,” Murdoch explained. “It really demonstrates that we could do something foundational in AI that could help unlock drug discovery.”
Strategic Partnerships and Major Backing
In 2024, the company signed research deals with Novartis and Eli Lilly. These collaborations allow Isomorphic Labs to work on both external and internal drug programs. The company is especially focused on oncology and immunology—areas with high medical need and complex research challenges.
In April 2025, Isomorphic Labs raised $600 million in its first external funding round. The round was led by Thrive Capital. This investment supports the company’s vision to build a best-in-class drug design engine.
Transforming Cost and Success Rates in Pharma
Developing a new drug is expensive and risky. Pharmaceutical companies often spend millions over several years, with a success rate as low as 10% when trials begin. Isomorphic Labs wants to change that. Its AI models aim to reduce cost, shorten development timelines, and improve trial outcomes.
“We’re trying to do all these things: speed them up, reduce the cost, but also really improve the chance that we can be successful,” Murdoch said.
Click-to-Cure: The Vision for AI Drug Design
Murdoch’s long-term goal is bold: a future where drug creation is as simple as clicking a button. “One day we hope to be able to say — well, here’s a disease, and then click a button and out pops the design for a drug to address that disease,” he said.
Although that future is still far off, Isomorphic Labs is taking practical steps now. The company is preparing to test internally developed drug candidates in humans. If early results are positive, these AI-powered treatments may eventually be licensed to larger pharmaceutical firms.
What Comes Next?
As Isomorphic Labs prepares for its first trials, the company is drawing global attention. If it succeeds, this model could change how new medicines are discovered—and redefine the role of AI in health.
Will AI-designed drugs become the standard—and if so, how soon?
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