Isomorphic Labs Raises $2.1B for AI Drug Discovery

Isomorphic Labs, a startup spun out from Google DeepMind in late 2021, has raised $2.1 billion in a Series B funding round, one of the largest in the AI bio space. The round was led by Thrive Capital, with contributions from Alphabet’s venture arm GV, growth fund CapitalG, and new investors including MGX, Temasek, and the UK Sovereign AI Fund. This brings the company’s total funding to $2.6 billion. The company’s mission is to revolutionize drug discovery by treating it as an engineering problem, leveraging its Isomorphic AI Drug Design Engine (IsoDDE). Built on AlphaFold’s Nobel Prize-winning protein structure prediction technology, IsoDDE models chemical interactions between drug molecules and biological targets, enabling faster and more precise predictions than traditional lab methods. The funding will accelerate Isomorphic’s internal pipeline of therapeutic programs, pushing them toward Phase I clinical trials by 2026, despite no human dosing to date. The company is also expanding strategic partnerships with major pharmaceutical firms, including Eli Lilly, Novartis, and J&J, securing multi-billion-dollar R&D collaborations. These alliances provide access to vast datasets and industry validation while testing IsoDDE’s capabilities in treating conditions like cancer and immune disorders. Isomorphic plans to triple its headcount, hiring machine learning researchers with biology expertise and medicinal chemists comfortable in code-driven environments. The company operates out of London and US hubs, with the UK Sovereign AI Fund’s investment highlighting its role in positioning the UK as a leader in Life Sciences 2.0. The funds will support global expansion and scaling of its AI-driven drug discovery platform.