Giving Compass' Take:

• Catherine Shu explains how Atomwise is leveraging AI to discover new drugs, speeding up the traditionally lengthy process. 

• How can funders help facilitate the discovery and adoption of new treatments? How can donors help to increase equitably and access to new treatments? 

• Learn more about the role of AI in healthcare. 

Atomwise, which uses deep learning to shorten the process of discovering new drugs, has raised a $45 million Series A. The round was led by Monsanto Growth Ventures, Data Collective (DCVC) and B Capital Group. Baidu Ventures, Tencent and Dolby Family Ventures, which are all new investors in Atomwise, also participated, as well as returning investors Y Combinator, Khosla Ventures, and DFJ.

This means Atomwise, which was founded in 2012, has now raised more than $51 million in funding. The company, which aims to reduce the amount of money and time researchers spend on finding compounds for medications, says it now has more than 50 molecular discovery programs.

Atomwise’s software analyzes simulations of molecules, reducing the time researchers need to spend synthesizing and testing compounds.

The company says it currently screens more than 10 million compounds each day. Atomwise’s AtomNet system uses deep learning algorithms to analyze molecules and predict how they might act in the human body, including their potential efficacy as medication, toxicity, and side effects, at an earlier stage than in the traditional drug discovery process.

Read the full article on AI for drug discovery by Catherine Shu at TechCrunch.