Insilico Medicine Introduces Humanoid Scientist to Fully-Robotic Drug Discovery Laboratory
Today, Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering generative AI for drug discovery and development, announced the deployment of the first bipedal humanoid in its AI-powered fully-robotic drug discovery laboratory. The humanoid, dubbed “Supervisor,” represents a crucial step toward creating truly autonomous research facilities where robots can operate equipment originally designed for human use.
Bridging the Gap Between Human and Robotic Research
Supervisor pictured with CEO Alex Zhavoronkov and CSO Feng Ren
According to Insilico Medicine, the humanoid will initially focus on data acquisition and generation to train embodied AI systems in learning the skills of human laboratory scientists. The robot will also assist with laboratory tours, telepresence capabilities, tracking, and general supervision.
“Most of today’s laboratory equipment was designed to be operated by humans, making it virtually impossible to have human-free fully-autonomous robotics facilities,” explained Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine.
“Even equipment designed for automation and operation using autonomous guided vehicles needs human intervention for reagent changes and maintenance. Humanoids will bridge this gap and enable fully-robotic facilities operated using agentic AI.”
Zhavoronkov emphasized that these systems are intended to work collaboratively with human scientists, focusing on repetitive tasks like pipetting, reagent handling, and equipment operation.
Building on a Foundation of AI-Driven Research
The humanoid integration builds upon Insilico’s existing fully-robotic LifeStar1 laboratory, which launched in December 2022. Since then, the company has developed multiple automated workflows for target discovery, indication expansion, and aging research.
The LifeStar1 and DORA platforms are already conducting fully-robotic, AI-driven research in cancer and aging. A recent study published in Aging and Disease utilized a robotic workflow to demonstrate the anti-aging properties of Insilico’s ISM018-055 investigational drug, which is currently in clinical trials for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Pioneering AI in Drug Discovery
Insilico Medicine has been at the forefront of applying AI to pharmaceutical research since 2016, when it first described using generative AI for designing novel molecules. The company subsequently developed its commercially available Pharma.AI platform, which has powered the development of 30 drug candidates since 2021, with 10 receiving Investigational New Drug clearance.
In early 2024, the company published a paper in Nature Biotechnology detailing its research and development journey from AI algorithms to Phase II clinical trials for ISM001-055, its lead drug candidate with an AI-discovered target and AI-designed structure.
More recently, Insilico announced positive preliminary results from a Phase IIa trial, where ISM001-055 demonstrated favorable safety and tolerability across all dose levels, as well as dose-dependent response in forced vital capacity after only 12 weeks of treatment.
The Future of Laboratory Automation
The introduction of humanoid robots into drug discovery laboratories represents a significant shift in how pharmaceutical research may be conducted in the future. By combining the physical capabilities of humanoid robots with sophisticated AI systems, companies like Insilico Medicine aim to accelerate the drug discovery process while potentially reducing costs and eliminating human error.
The deployment of humanoid scientists could eventually transform other research-intensive fields beyond pharmaceuticals, including materials science, carbon capture, and sustainability research — areas that Insilico has mentioned as potential applications for their technology.
As these technologies mature, the role of human scientists may evolve toward higher-level research design, hypothesis generation, and interpretation of results, while robots handle the physical execution of experiments.
For Insilico Medicine, the deployment of “Supervisor” represents not just an advancement in laboratory automation, but a step toward their vision of AI-driven, robotic research facilities that can dramatically accelerate the pace of scientific discovery.
