Google's parent company launches venture to discover drugs with A.I.

Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is launching a project in Britain that will use artificial intelligence software to "reimagine" the process of discovering new drugs and medical treatments.

Alphabet said the new company, Isomorphic Labs, will expand on research previously conducted by DeepMind, a British artificial intelligence company that Google acquired several years ago.

Officials said the venture, which will help scientists analyze data, could lead to cures for some of the most debilitating diseases.

"Now the time is right to push this forward at pace, and with the dedicated focus and resources that Isomorphic Labs will bring," CEO Demis Hassabis said in a statement.

Hassabis added that the company aims to "reimagine the entire drug discovery process from the ground up," and partner with pharma and medical companies to advance "digital biology."

Last year, DeepMind produced an A.I. system that can predict the 3D structure of a protein from its amino acid sequence, which it touted as a solution to the "50-year-old grand challenge of protein folding."