Flagship's Lila Sciences Secures $235M Series A to Advance AI-Powered Drug Discovery

Lila Sciences, a Flagship Pioneering company, has announced a substantial $235 million Series A funding round to expand its AI-powered autonomous research laboratories. The investment, led by Braidwell and Collective Global, aims to revolutionize the drug discovery process through advanced automation and artificial intelligence.

AI Science Factories: The Future of Drug Discovery

Lila Sciences, founded in 2023, is pioneering the concept of "AI Science Factories" – unified facilities where AI models, novel software, and custom hardware work in tandem to automate the scientific method. These facilities are designed to generate hypotheses, design experiments, run them, learn from the results, and iterate continuously.

Geoffrey von Maltzahn, Ph.D., Flagship General Partner and leader of Lila Sciences, described the AI Science Factories as "scientific-method machines" that provide the necessary "body" for a "superintelligent mind for science." The company plans to use the new funding to expand its operations, establishing new facilities in Boston, San Francisco, and London.

Ambitious Goals and Early Success

Lila Sciences has set its sights on ambitious goals, aiming to fully automate the scientific method with what it calls "scientific superintelligence." The company claims to have already made significant strides, reporting thousands of discoveries in life sciences, chemistry, and materials science.

Notable achievements include:

• Development of large language models with state-of-the-art scientific reasoning abilities
• Creation of genetic medicine constructs outperforming commercially available therapeutics
• Discovery of hundreds of new antibodies, peptides, and binders for various therapeutic targets

Industry Impact and Future Prospects

The substantial investment in Lila Sciences underscores the growing importance of AI and automation in pharmaceutical research. With CRISPR pioneer George Church, Ph.D., serving as the company's chief scientist, Lila is well-positioned to push the boundaries of what's possible in drug discovery and development.

As the company expands its AI Science Factories, the pharmaceutical industry will be watching closely to see if Lila's approach can deliver on its promise of accelerating and improving the drug discovery process. The success of this venture could have far-reaching implications for how new therapies are developed and brought to market in the coming years.