In February 2026, Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs, confirmed that the first AI-designed cancer drug from Isomorphic's pipeline is set to enter Phase 1 clinical trials in early 2026. The announcement marks a pivotal moment for the field, as AI-designed therapeutics move from computational design through preclinical development and into human testing for the first time from Alphabet's drug discovery arm.
Multiple Therapeutic Programs
Hassabis indicated that Isomorphic Labs' clinical programs span multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, and cardiovascular disease. The cancer drug entering Phase 1 represents the most advanced of these programs, with several others in IND-enabling stages. The company is staffing up its clinical operations team in preparation for the trials.
Built on AlphaFold and IsoDDE
The drug candidates were designed using Isomorphic Labs' Drug Design Engine (IsoDDE), which builds on the Nobel Prize-winning AlphaFold technology to move beyond structure prediction into active drug design. IsoDDE integrates structure prediction, binding affinity estimation, and generative molecular design into a unified computational framework, allowing the company to design molecules that are optimized for potency, selectivity, and drug-like properties from the outset.
$3 Billion in Pharma Partnerships
The clinical trial announcement comes against the backdrop of Isomorphic Labs' landmark partnerships with Eli Lilly and Novartis, valued at a combined $3 billion in potential milestone payments. The Lilly deal, worth up to $1.7 billion, focuses on discovering small molecule therapeutics for undisclosed targets, while the Novartis collaboration, worth up to $1.2 billion, targets three specific drug programs. Novartis subsequently doubled its commitment in early 2025. These partnerships provide both financial resources and access to clinical development expertise from two of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies.
A Critical Test
The Phase 1 trials will represent the first clinical test of whether drugs designed using AlphaFold-derived technology perform differently in humans compared to molecules discovered through traditional methods. While AI drug discovery has produced positive clinical results through companies like Insilico Medicine, the Isomorphic programs represent the first drugs designed using the most advanced structure prediction technology available, potentially targeting mechanisms that were previously inaccessible to computational drug design.
Industry Implications
The entry of Isomorphic Labs into clinical development transforms the competitive landscape of AI drug discovery. With the backing of Alphabet, the scientific pedigree of AlphaFold, and the financial support of Lilly and Novartis, Isomorphic's clinical programs will be closely watched as a bellwether for the entire sector. Success in Phase 1 would validate the hypothesis that superior computational accuracy translates into superior clinical candidates, while failure would raise questions about whether the gap between in silico prediction and in vivo performance remains wider than the field's most optimistic projections suggest.
