Isomorphic Labs, an Alphabet spinoff, is trying to turn AlphaFold — the protein modeling tool that helped win a Nobel Prize in chemistry — into a platform for discovering new drugs. The company has kept a low profile, but its goal is ambitious: to show that AI can do more than predict protein structures and actually generate viable medicines.
The startup's potential has not gone unnoticed. Venture firm Thrive Capital spent 18 months courting Isomorphic, even though the company was not raising money. Partner Avery Klemmer said many assumed a Google company would be uninvestable, but the firm saw a challenge. The pursuit highlights how much value investors place on Isomorphic's technology.
Whether that value will translate into real drugs remains an open question. The STAT report, based on conversations with Isomorphic executives, former employees, and outside experts, notes that AlphaFold stunned scientists but that building a drugmaking engine from it is a far harder task. For now, the promise is real, but the proof is not yet there.