Google Research has developed the VERID framework enabling AI agents to design and run experiments in physical laboratories autonomously. Testing aptamers targeting α-thrombin, the hit rate climbed from 0% in the first round to 42.1% in the third, at a cost of $1 to $3 per candidate. The team then applied this approach to de-novo protein design for cancer-related proteins, achieving single-digit nanomolar binding affinities. On October 7, 2026, a coalition including Google DeepMind, Meta, Isomorphic Labs, and US government partners announced a $1.8 billion investment in the Virtual Biology Initiative.
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