Anthropic is setting up a biology lab where Claude guides robots in drug experiments
Anthropic is building a biology lab near San Francisco that will let its Claude system direct robots through drug‑discovery experiments, Reuters reported. The lab is intended to move AI‑driven chemistry beyond computer simulations into physical testing, with human oversight kept for safety.
Key points
- Anthropic is building a San Francisco-area biology lab where Claude will direct robots for drug experiments.
- The lab follows the launch of Claude Science and a Model Hardware Standard for lab equipment control.
- Anthropic acquired Coefficient Bio for about $400 million and added Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan to its board.
Claude will operate through two tools the company has already released: Claude Science, an AI workspace for researchers, and the Model Hardware Standard, which defines how the model talks to lab equipment. Eric Kauderer‑Abrams, head of Anthropic’s life‑sciences division, says the biggest opportunity lies in diseases currently labeled “undruggable” because no treatment exists. Kauderer‑Abrams believes AI could speed up the design of complex antibodies that hit multiple targets simultaneously, potentially opening new therapeutic pathways.
The effort follows Anthropic’s April acquisition of Coefficient Bio for about $400 million and the addition of Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan to its board. Anthropic does not plan to run its own clinical trials at this stage, to avoid stepping on pharma companies’ toes. Anthropic says the lab will still rely on human scientists for final validation, and it will not pursue regulatory filings until the platform proves reliable.
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Anthropic is setting up a biology lab where Claude guides robots through drug experiments
The Decoder · 22 September 2026
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This text was published by The Decoder and written by Manuel Uth. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
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2sources- Anthropic’s biolab made a discovery it’s comparing to CrisprPress · The Verge AI ·
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