TL;DR:
- Isomorphic Labs partners with Eli Lilly and Novartis for AI-driven drug discovery.
- The combined value of partnerships is $3 billion, with substantial upfront payments and performance-based incentives.
- Isomorphic leverages DeepMind’s AlphaFold 2 AI technology to predict protein structures.
- AlphaFold, though not flawless, enables groundbreaking drug design and has already produced promising results.
- The latest AlphaFold version can predict the structures of nearly all molecules in the Protein Data Bank.
- Isomorphic applies the enhanced AlphaFold model to therapeutic drug design.
- The company faces pressure to generate profit after recording a $3 million loss in 2021.
Main AI News:
Isomorphic Labs, the London-based drug discovery company backed by Google AI R&D division DeepMind, has just unveiled groundbreaking strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novartis. The primary goal of these alliances is to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in revolutionizing the process of discovering innovative medications to combat various diseases.
These deals have been valued at an impressive combined total of $3 billion, signifying the immense potential seen in Isomorphic’s proprietary technology platform. Eli Lilly has committed to an upfront payment of $45 million, with the possibility of an additional $1.7 billion based on performance milestones, excluding royalties. On the other hand, Novartis is investing $37.5 million upfront and providing funding for selected research costs, with performance-based incentives potentially reaching $1.2 billion over time, also excluding royalties.
Isomorphic’s CEO, Demis Hassabis, who is also a co-founder of DeepMind, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “We’re thrilled to embark on this partnership and apply our proprietary technology platform. The focus we share on advancing groundbreaking drug design approaches and appreciation of state-of-the-art science makes these partnerships particularly compelling.”
Fiona Marshall, President of Biomedical Research at Novartis, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the transformative potential of cutting-edge AI technologies in drug discovery. She emphasized that this collaboration leverages both companies’ unique strengths, from AI and data science to medicinal chemistry and deep expertise in disease areas, to unlock new possibilities in AI-driven drug development.
Isomorphic, founded in 2021 under Alphabet, DeepMind’s parent company, utilizes DeepMind’s AlphaFold 2 AI technology to predict the structure of proteins within the human body. This predictive capability is instrumental in identifying new target pathways for developing disease-fighting drugs.
While AlphaFold is not without its imperfections, with occasional mistakes and its primary role as a “hypothesis generator,” its ability to generate reasonably accurate protein predictions at scale surpasses most previous methods. Recent successes include the design and synthesis of a potential drug for hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of primary liver cancer. DeepMind is also collaborating with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative to tackle Chagas disease and Leishmaniasis, two deadly diseases prevalent in the developing world, using AlphaFold technology.
In a recent announcement, DeepMind revealed that the latest version of AlphaFold can predict the structures of nearly all molecules in the Protein Data Bank, the world’s largest open-access database of biological molecules. This includes the accurate prediction of ligands, molecules that interact with receptor proteins, nucleic acids containing vital genetic information, and post-translational modifications.
Isomorphic is already putting the enhanced AlphaFold model, co-designed with DeepMind, to work in therapeutic drug design, particularly in characterizing various molecular structures essential for disease treatment.
The stakes are high for Isomorphic to turn a profit. In 2021, the company reported a £2.4 million (approximately $3 million) loss, attributed to an aggressive hiring spree and the establishment of a second office in Lausanne, Switzerland. As these strategic partnerships take shape, Isomorphic is poised to make significant strides in the AI-driven drug discovery landscape.
Conclusion:
Isomorphic’s strategic partnerships with Eli Lilly and Novartis signal a major shift in the pharmaceutical industry towards AI-driven drug discovery. These collaborations, backed by substantial investments, leverage cutting-edge technology to advance drug design and could pave the way for transformative developments in the market.
