In an exciting release in the tech world, Latent Labs announced the launch of its new web AI model - LatentX, aimed at changing the game in protein design. The company, which has emerged from its stealth phase after securing $50 million in funding, is providing innovative support to academic institutions, biotech startups, and pharmaceutical companies with its unique technology.
Simon Kohl, CEO and founder of Latent Labs, said that LatentX has reached industry-leading levels in experimental results for protein binding. Having been a core member of DeepMind's AlphaFold protein design team, Kohl has a deep foundation in the study of protein structures. Kohl pointed out that this model not only helps scientists evaluate the quality of protein designs, but most proteins generated by the model are also feasible in actual experiments.
Unlike natural proteins, LatentX is capable of creating entirely new molecular designs, precise down to the atomic structure, which means it can accelerate the development of new therapies. Kohl emphasized that the core advantage of LatentX lies in its ability to generate new proteins, a feature that is distinctly different from AlphaFold's protein structure prediction function. The latter can only help scientists visualize existing protein structures, but cannot generate new proteins.
Different from companies such as Xaira, Recursion, or DeepMind's Isomorphic Labs, which focus on developing proprietary drugs, Latent Labs' business model is to license its models to external organizations. Kohl noted that not all companies have the capability to build their own AI models, and Latent Labs aims to fill this gap by providing convenient tools. Although LatentX is currently free, Kohl revealed that the company plans to gradually introduce advanced features and charge fees in the future.
In the open-source drug discovery field, Latent Labs is not alone, with companies such as Chai Discovery and EvolutionaryScale also providing AI foundational models. Notably, Latent Labs is backed by strong investor support, including Radical Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, and industry leaders such as Google's chief scientist Jeff Dean.
With the launch of LatentX, the future of protein design will become more democratized, allowing researchers to more easily create unprecedented biomolecules, thus advancing the process of medical innovation.