Regeneron Bets Big on AI to Turbocharge Drug Discovery

AI Heals at Hyperspeed

Biotech giant Regeneron is diving deeper into artificial intelligence, announcing a $270 million collaboration with startup Genesis Therapeutics to co-develop new drug candidates using AI. The deal includes an upfront payment and potential milestone payments that could reach the nine-figure mark. Genesis, a Palo Alto-based startup using neural networks for drug design, brings a sophisticated platform capable of evaluating chemical structures in three-dimensional space to predict how molecules will interact with disease targets. For Regeneron, the alliance is part of a broader ambition to integrate AI into the earliest stages of drug discovery—an area that remains notoriously time- and resource-intensive.

Algorithms as Lab Partners

This deal marks Regeneron’s latest move to automate and accelerate its R&D pipeline with cutting-edge technology. The company previously invested in AI to streamline data analytics but is now betting on algorithm-driven molecule design to fast-track the search for drug candidates. Genesis’s AI models are designed to simulate how potential therapies bind to specific proteins, dramatically reducing the time it takes to go from idea to preclinical candidate. The partnership will start by targeting up to five drug discovery programs, with the potential to expand as the relationship matures—a clear sign that AI is becoming an essential tool in Regeneron’s scientific arsenal.