Isomorphic Labs raises $2.1B to push AI-designed drugs into the clinic
DeepMind spin-out's Series B, second-largest biotech round ever, funds its IsoDDE engine and a first in-house trial by end-2026
Summary
Isomorphic Labs, the DeepMind drug-discovery spin-out, announced a $2.1B Series B on 12 May 2026, led by Thrive Capital with Alphabet, GV, CapitalG, Temasek, Abu Dhabi's MGX and the UK Sovereign AI Fund, its first outside capital, taking total funding to ~$2.6B. It is described as the second-largest biotech round ever. The money scales IsoDDE, the firm's post-AlphaFold 3 drug-design engine, which it says doubles AlphaFold 3 accuracy on the hardest protein-ligand cases (50% vs 23.3%). CEO Demis Hassabis now targets the firm's first in-house candidates in human trials by end-2026, conceding he had "misspoke" on an earlier 2025 target. Isomorphic runs paid programs with Novartis, Eli Lilly and J&J.
By the numbers
- $2.1B, Series B; ~$2.6B total raised to date.
- 50% vs 23.3%, IsoDDE vs AlphaFold 3 accuracy on <20%-training-similarity protein-ligand cases.
- End-2026, Hassabis's target for first in-house candidate in human trials.
- Up to $1.7B, milestone value of the Eli Lilly partnership.
- 3, pharma partners (Novartis, Lilly, J&J).
Why it matters
The round is a heavy bet that AI-native discovery can compress the cost and timeline of drug design rather than just predicting structures. Sovereign funds (Temasek, MGX, UK) and Alphabet are exposed. Whether IsoDDE produces a clinic-ready molecule from Isomorphic's own pipeline is now the test the field is watched on.
What to watch
- Whether a first in-house candidate actually enters Phase 1 by end-2026.
- Milestone payments triggering on the Novartis/Lilly/J&J programs.
- Independent benchmarks of IsoDDE against AlphaFold 3 and rival engines.