Faster Science, Better Drugs

In this episode of the a16z Podcast, Guido Appenzeller interviews Patrick Hsu, co-founder of the Arc Institute, and Jorge Conde, a16z general partner, about accelerating scientific progress through virtual cells and foundation models for biology. They discuss the challenges in making science faster, including incentive structures and the multidisciplinary nature of modern research. Hsu explains Arc Institute's moonshot to create virtual cells and simulate human biology, drawing parallels to AlphaFold's impact on protein folding. The conversation explores the bottlenecks in translating scientific breakthroughs into drugs and business outcomes, the capital intensity of the biotech industry, and the potential of AI to compress discovery timelines. They also touch on the importance of targeting large patient populations and the need for innovation in drug development and regulatory processes. Finally, they discuss the potential of AI agents in various sectors and the future of AI research, highlighting the Virtual Cell Challenge as a means to foster innovation in the field.