Let’s take this week to discover how AI impacts other industries…

Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs, a spinout from DeepMind, is about to make history. After years of development, the company is preparing for its first human clinical trials of drugs designed entirely by artificial intelligence.

At the core of this breakthrough is AlphaFold 3, a powerful AI system that can predict complex protein structures with remarkable accuracy. Developed by the same team behind DeepMind, AlphaFold earned its creators a Nobel Prize in 2024—and now it’s being used to create real medicine.

Here’s what’s happening:

• The Milestone: Isomorphic Labs has developed drug candidates using AI and is now preparing to dose its first patients. This marks the transition from research to real-world testing.

• The Focus: The initial trials will target oncology (cancer treatment), but the technology has the potential to address many other conditions.

• The Funding: In April 2025, Isomorphic raised $600 million in its first-ever external funding round, led by Thrive Capital. This will accelerate drug development and support upcoming trials.

• The Partnerships: Isomorphic is already working with major pharmaceutical companies like Novartis and Eli Lilly—partnerships reportedly valued near $3 billion.

What makes this special?

Traditionally, developing a new drug can take over a decade and cost billions—with no guarantee of success. By using AI to predict how proteins interact and how molecules might behave in the body, Isomorphic aims to cut those timelines dramatically and improve the odds.

They’re not alone either. Over 3,000 drugs are currently in development with the help of AI, many still in early stages. But this trial is the first of its kind for a fully AI-developed treatment heading into human testing.

A glimpse into the future

In an interview, Isomorphic Labs’ president Colin Murdoch shared a bold vision: “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. All powered by these amazing AI tools.”

It sounds like science fiction—but this week’s news brings that future one step closer.

AI just took a giant leap in healthcare. Your move doesn’t need to be as bold—but it does need to happen. As Isomorphic Labs shows us, the future is now.

This Week in AI

• AI generated videos are getting millions of views

• TikTok is building a replacement app for US users

• EU files antitrust complaint against Google