Feb 11, 2025

Sai writes about healthcare, innovation and technology. getty Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman has launched a startup with the intention of using AI to fuel drug discovery. He is partnering with author, physician and scientist, Siddhartha Mukherjee, who famously penned The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. The startup, Manas AI , has a straightforward yet ambitious goal: use AI to push forth the discovery and development of treatments for rare and devastating diseases. At least initially, the company’s work will have a specialized focus on cancer. The goal will be to explore “chemical spaces and [analyze] molecular interactions at speeds 100 times faster than traditional methods” in order to radically “shift drug discovery from a decade-long process to one that takes a few years; bringing life-saving treatments to patients years faster than ever before.” Specifically, the team is hoping to guide their initial focus on aggressive forms of cancer such as breast cancer, prostate cancer and lymphoma, and eventually transition to doing research on other disease fronts. Undoubtedly, Manas AI is not the only one that is working in this space. Many other companies are hoping to leverage AI with a similar goal of tackling drug discovery. Take for example Xaira, which announced that it raised nearly $1 billion in funding last year. Another great example is Alphabet’s Isomorphic Labs, which released the AlphaFold 3 AI model in partnership with DeepMind and has made incredible strides in navigating protein folding. AION Labs is another big player, which is partnering with large pharmaceutical names such as AstraZeneca, Merck and Pfizer to work on something similar . Indeed, the competition is stiff. But what makes Manas AI different from the rest? It’s the curated focus and targeted scope that the company can deliver to making progress in cancer therapeutics. While many of the larger companies are undoubtedly incredibly promising, few are focusing on cancer as the initial milestone to tackle. In fact, the startup has only raised about $24 million dollars thus far, making its valuation only a fraction of many of these other larger companies. However, this further amplifies the company’s proclivity to be hyper-focused and results-oriented towards making a dent in the field of cancer biology. MORE FOR YOU Regardless of the humble funding, the company is backed by one of the biggest names in the game, General Catalyst, which comments : “Manas AI’s full-stack platform drives efficient large-scale screening and high-confidence lead optimization, shortening the timeline for discovering effective drug candidates, beginning with aggressive cancers and evolving beyond.” Furthermore, both Hoffman and Mukherjee are pioneers in their respective fields and have made significant contributions to the world. Hoffman’s LinkedIn has empowered professional connectivity for billions of people globally, and Mukherjee is a pioneer in shaping public discourse and awareness around human disease. Given that a company is a reflection of its leaders, Manas AI has an incredible set of visionaries at its helm. Undoubtedly, the company has a long path ahead and definitely has a lot to prove. However, its vision and mission provide a promising picture for the future of cancer care.