a16z Podcast Faster Science, Better Drugs
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Sep 15, 2025 In this conversation, Patrick Hsu, co-founder of the Arc Institute, and Jorge Conde, general partner at a16z, explore how to accelerate scientific progress through virtual cell technology. They delve into the challenges hindering research and the potential impact of AI on drug discovery. The duo discusses what a transformative moment in cell biology might look like and highlights the balance between hype and substance in biotechnology. They also examine the financial implications of breakthrough medications and the evolving landscape of biopharma.
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Make Science Faster With Virtual Cells
- Patrick Hsu frames ARC's moonshot as making science faster by building virtual cells with foundation models.
- He aims for models that let experimentalists iterate at neural-network speed and choose wet-lab experiments confidently.
Incentives And Collisions Drive Research Speed
- Science is slow due to a Gordian knot of incentives, training, and siloed disciplines.
- ARC tries to speed discovery by colocating multidisciplinary teams and aligning incentives around big flagship projects.
Design Models To Suggest Testable Perturbations
- Scope virtual cells around perturbation prediction: map cell states and predict interventions to move cells between states.
- Use models as wet-lab copilots to propose testable experimental conditions rather than only ML benchmarks.
