Historic First: AI-Developed Drugs to Begin Human Clinical Trials
Isomorphic Labs, a subsidiary of Alphabet’s DeepMind, is on the cusp of a potentially transformative moment in pharmaceutical history, announcing that the first human clinical trials for drugs entirely developed by artificial intelligence are “very close.” This pioneering initiative, leveraging DeepMind’s acclaimed AlphaFold system, could fundamentally reshape drug discovery, offering faster and more accessible therapies for a myriad of diseases, including oncology and immunology.
The Dawn of AI-Powered Drug Discovery
Traditional drug development is a notoriously protracted, expensive, and high-risk endeavour, with success rates in early trials hovering around a mere 10%. Isomorphic Labs aims to dramatically improve these odds and expedite the entire process through its AI-first approach. By employing AlphaFold, a system powered by artificial intelligence renowned for its ability to accurately predict protein structures and model their interactions, Isomorphic Labs can design new drug candidates with unprecedented speed and precision.
Isomorphic Labs: Leading the Charge
Colin Murdoch, President of Isomorphic Labs and Chief Business Officer at DeepMind, emphasised the imminent start of human trials and the company’s ongoing expansion of staff to support these critical stages. “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,” Murdoch stated, articulating the ambitious long-term vision of a “cure-all” method driven by artificial intelligence.
Founded in 2021, Isomorphic Labs has rapidly established itself as a frontrunner in the AI-driven pharmaceutical space. The company has forged strategic partnerships with major pharmaceutical powerhouses like Eli Lilly and Novartis, and in April 2025, successfully raised over USD600 million in investment funding. This substantial capital injection is earmarked to accelerate the development of AI-based drugs and facilitate the impending clinical trials.
A New Era for Healthcare
The impact of successful clinical trials could be profound. Artificial intelligence’s integration into drug discovery is projected to significantly cut down the average 10 to 15-year timeline and billions of dollars typically required to bring a new medicine to market. By streamlining processes, from target identification to virtual screening and lead optimisation, artificial intelligence promises to deliver life-saving treatments to patients more quickly and potentially at a lower cost.
While the prospect of drugs designed by artificial intelligence moving to human trials is met with immense anticipation, the journey ahead remains rigorous. Clinical trials are complex, with stringent regulatory hurdles and inherent uncertainties. However, if Isomorphic Labs’ AI-developed drug candidates demonstrate safety and efficacy in humans, it would mark a monumental leap forward, not just for the company but for the entire field of medicine, ushering in a new era of rapid, precise, and potentially universal therapeutic solutions.
