OpenAI acquires Orchestra Bio to boost drug development AI, Axios reports

Investing.com -- OpenAI has bought Orchestra Bio, a startup that builds AI agents to help drug companies manage the process of developing medicines, Axios reported on Tuesday.

OpenAI will add Orchestra's team and technology to Rosalind, its collection of AI models and tools made for life sciences researchers. The companies did not share the financial details of the deal.

Orchestra's platform lets scientists give AI agents tasks such as watching studies, tracking drug development schedules and finding possible delays. Both companies want to use these agents to connect scientific discoveries with the decisions and next steps needed to develop possible treatments.

In April, OpenAI introduced its specialized GPT-Rosalind model to help researchers solve difficult problems in biology, chemistry and drug discovery. The company has also worked with major drugmakers, including Novo Nordisk and Moderna, to bring AI into their research and development work.

OpenAI says developing a new medicine usually takes 10 to 15 years. The company hopes AI can make this process shorter.

The deal comes as rival AI company Anthropic is also expanding into life sciences. Anthropic bought Coefficient Bio, an AI biotech startup, for about $400 million in April, The Information had previously reported.

Anthropic launched Claude Science in June, an AI research platform that connects scientific databases, analysis tools and specialized agents. In September, the company announced a new lab for biological research and said Claude had helped discover a previously unknown enzyme system with similarities to CRISPR.

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OpenAI acquires Orchestra Bio to boost drug development AI, Axios reports