Anthropic launches AI drug discovery program, Claude Science

Anthropic is launching an internal drug discovery program as part of an effort to develop artificial intelligence tools designed for drugmakers, becoming the latest company to try to crack the healthcare market.

At an event in San Francisco on Tuesday, Anthropic’s president of life sciences, Eric Kauderer-Abrams, said the company will focus on discovering treatments for “neglected” diseases that traditional biopharmaceutical companies would not consider attractive targets.

“We are doing this because we believe, first of all, that we need to experience this together with all of you to create the right models, products and tools that will accelerate the industry,” Kauderer-Abrams said. “We believe in the power of tight feedback loops, and there is no substitute for having our own experiences alongside all of you as we work to develop drugs.”

Kauderer-Abrams did not say what Anthropic would do if it finds promising drug candidates. Traditional biopharmaceutical companies would typically test these in clinical trials.

Tech giants have long targeted healthcare, albeit with mixed results. Alphabet And Apple They jumped into the market in various ways and Amazon It built a business in healthcare by acquiring One Medical and PillPack, which are now housed in a division called Amazon Health Services.

Kauderer-Abrams and other Anthropic leaders positioned Anthropic’s efforts as a way to work with drugmakers, which it is trying to court for its new Claude Science product. Anthropic’s goal is to focus on neglected diseases while building and selling AI tools for life sciences companies, said Jonah Cool, Anthropic’s head of life sciences partnerships.

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