In a groundbreaking interview in Paris, Isomorphic Labs CEO Murdoch revealed that the company is making significant strides in the field of drug discovery. “There are people sitting in our office in King’s Cross, London, working, and collaborating with AI to design drugs for cancer,” he stated, highlighting the real-time application of artificial intelligence in developing innovative cancer treatments.
After years of dedicated research and development, Murdoch announced that human clinical trials for Isomorphic’s AI-assisted drugs are finally within reach. “The next big milestone is actually going out to clinical trials, starting to put these things into human beings,” he emphasized. The company, which was established in 2021 as a spin-off from DeepMind, is ramping up its efforts and staffing to meet this critical milestone.
Isomorphic Labs was inspired by one of DeepMind’s most celebrated breakthroughs, AlphaFold, an advanced AI system known for its high-accuracy predictions of protein structures. This technology has evolved beyond merely predicting individual protein structures; it now effectively models how proteins interact with other molecules, such as DNA and drugs. These advancements have significantly enhanced its utility in drug discovery, enabling researchers to design medications more quickly and precisely.
In April 2025, Isomorphic Labs secured $600 million in its first external funding round, led by Thrive Capital. This funding is part of a strategic plan to develop a “world-class drug design engine.” The goal is to combine the expertise of machine learning researchers with seasoned pharma veterans to create new medicines more efficiently, economically, and with a higher probability of success.
As part of its collaborations with major pharmaceutical players, Isomorphic not only supports existing drug programs but also initiates its own internal drug candidates, focusing on critical areas such as oncology and immunology. Murdoch explained, “We identify an unmet need, and we start our own drug design programs. We develop those, put them into human clinical trials… we haven’t got that yet, but we’re making good progress.”
Currently, pharmaceutical companies invest millions in bringing a single drug to market, often facing just a 10% success rate once trials commence. Murdoch is optimistic that Isomorphic’s technology could dramatically enhance these odds. “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,” he asserted.
Murdoch envisions a future where researchers can achieve 100% confidence in the efficacy of the drugs they develop for human trials. “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 concluded. “All powered by these amazing AI tools.”
