Medra to expedite drug discovery with AI robots

MEDRA, WHICH PROGRAMS robots with AI to conduct and improve biological experiments, has raised $52 million to build what it says will be one of the largest autonomouslabsin the US.

- AGNEE GHOSH

Thecompanyrecently signed anagreement to work on early drug discovery with Genentech, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Roche Holding.“There’s been industrial automation in life sciences for decades,” Medra CEO Michella Lee said, referring to robots that repeat preprogrammed motions. Her bet is that “physical AI” — robots with sensors and cameras tied to software that allows them to process what they’re doing, log precise data and adapt—will accelerate scientific progress.