Isomorphic Labs, a pioneering drug discovery startup based in London, has recently announced strategic partnerships with two prominent pharmaceutical companies, Eli Lilly and Novartis. These partnerships seek to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in the quest for discovering new medications to treat various diseases. The combined value of these deals amounts to approximately $3 billion.
Under the collaboration, Isomorphic will receive an upfront payment of $45 million from Eli Lilly, with the potential for an additional $1.7 billion based on performance milestones, excluding royalties. Novartis, on the other hand, will make an initial payment of $37.5 million, in addition to funding select research costs. They may also provide up to $1.2 billion in performance-based incentives over time, excluding royalties.
The CEO of Isomorphic Labs and co-founder of DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnerships, stating that the shared focus on groundbreaking drug design and scientific advancements make these collaborations particularly compelling.
The president of biomedical research at Novartis, Fiona Marshall, also highlighted the potential of cutting-edge AI technologies in transforming drug discovery and accelerating the development of life-changing medicines for patients. The collaboration aims to harness the unique strengths of both companies, combining AI and data science with medicinal chemistry and deep expertise in specific disease areas.
Isomorphic Labs, founded by Demis Hassabis in 2021 as a spin-off of Alphabet’s DeepMind, draws on the AlphaFold 2 AI technology developed by DeepMind. This technology enables the prediction of protein structures in the human body, which can aid in identifying new therapeutic pathways for fighting diseases.
While the AlphaFold technology is not without its limitations, its ability to generate reasonably accurate protein predictions on a large scale surpasses most previous methods. In fact, it has already been successfully used to design a potential drug for hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of primary liver cancer.
Isomorphic Labs is actively applying the latest version of AlphaFold, co-designed with DeepMind, to accelerate therapeutic drug design. By characterizing various molecular structures essential for treating diseases, the company aims to deliver innovative and effective medications.
As Isomorphic Labs strives to establish its market presence and achieve profitability, it faces mounting pressure. The company reported a loss of £2.4 million (~$3 million) in 2021, primarily due to expansion efforts, including the establishment of its second office in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Through its strategic partnerships with Eli Lilly and Novartis, Isomorphic Labs is poised to make significant advancements in AI-driven drug discovery to revolutionize the treatment of diseases and improve healthcare outcomes.
The source of the article is from the blog jomfruland.net