Grail and Verily Alum on Billion Dollar Startup Bringing AI to Drug Development: A Discussion with Vik Bajaj

Vik Bajaj is bullish on genomics in the age of artificial intelligence. A pioneering figure in biotech—co-founder of Verily and Grail—Bajaj now leads Xaira Therapeutics, where he's exploring how AI can revolutionize drug development. In today’s episode, he joins Theral to break down how the intersection of AI and genomics is unlocking new possibilities in drug development, with the potential to accelerate every stage of drug discovery.

Bajaj explains that at Xaira, machine learning and advanced modeling enable drug development to happen almost entirely in silico. By simulating biological systems and predicting drug interactions, AI could dramatically cut the time and cost of traditional methods.

However, there are still hurdles, especially the need for more robust genomic datasets to better understand causality. Bajaj discusses how Xaira Therapeutics is addressing this gap, driven by an ambitious vision to harness AI for breakthroughs that could reshape the field.

What are the most exciting applications of AI in biotech today? And what does Bajaj see as the biggest challenges ahead? We even ask for his thoughts on unified information theory—a concept that could integrate biology, AI, and computational science for a more comprehensive approach to human health.

Join us as we take a broad look into what’s happening now in AI-driven biotech with one of the field’s leading innovators.