从悲剧到新药：药物研发的漫长征途与个体驱动力

Peter Ray, a leading drug designer at Recursion, is driven by a childhood promise to his mother, who died of cancer. This personal tragedy fuels his dedication to developing life-saving cancer drugs.

The traditional drug discovery process is arduous and lengthy, often spanning years. It begins with chemists like Ray meticulously designing molecules to target specific proteins. These molecules are then tested by biologists on cells, with many failing due to biological complexity or unforeseen side effects. Even if a molecule shows promise in animal models, the journey through human clinical trials (Phase I, II, and III) is fraught with failure, with over 90% of drug candidates not making it to market. As one biologist noted, successfully bringing a drug to market is exceptionally rare, akin to being a "unicorn."

Where Are All the AI Drugs?

In an industry where 90 percent of drug candidates fail before reaching the market, a handful of startups are betting everything on AI to beat the odds.

WIREDVeronique Greenwood