Anthropic is setting up a biology lab where Claude guides robots through drug experiments
Anthropic is building a San Francisco biology lab where Claude directs robots in physical drug experiments.
Anthropic is building a San Francisco-area biology laboratory so Claude can direct robots through physical drug-discovery experiments rather than simulations alone. The company has released Claude Science, a researcher workspace, and a Model Hardware Standard for controlling lab equipment, while saying human oversight remains required. In April it acquired Coefficient Bio for about $400 million and added Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan to its board. Anthropic says it will not run its own clinical trials and highlights multi-target antibody design for diseases considered undruggable.
- Anthropic's San Francisco lab will let Claude direct robots in physical drug experiments.
- Human oversight remains required, and Anthropic will not run its own clinical trials.
- Anthropic acquired Coefficient Bio for about $400 million in April.
- Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan joined Anthropic's board.
- Released tools include Claude Science and a Model Hardware Standard for lab equipment.
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Anthropic is building its own biology lab to push AI-driven drug development beyond computer simulations. The lab, located in the San Francisco area, will allow the company to run physical experiments, Reuters reports.
The plan is for Claude to guide robots through experiments with minimal human involvement. Anthropic has already shipped two tools to make that work: Claude Science, an AI workspace built for researchers, and the Model Hardware Standard for controlling lab equipment. Human oversight is still required for safety, the company says.
Eric Kauderer-Abrams, who runs Anthropic's life sciences division, sees the biggest opportunity in diseases long considered "undruggable" because no treatment exists. AI could speed up the design of complex antibodies that hit multiple targets at once, he says.
The lab push builds on moves Anthropic made earlier this year. In April, the company acquired the startup Coefficient Bio for about $400 million and added Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan to its board. Anthropic won't run its own clinical trials for now, according to the report, to avoid stepping on pharma companies' toes.
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