How Computational Biology is Transforming Drug R&D

The latest episode of Exchanges at Goldman Sachs premieres a new monthly feature: An examination of a topic at the center of conversations in the venture-capital community. This week, Goldman Sachs Research’s Heath Terry explores the growing world of computational biology—using the power of big data to revolutionize drug discovery, disease prevention and cancer detection. Terry talked to VCs like Lux Capital’s Zavain Dar, who invests in emerging science and technology firms. “It feels like we’re at the precipice of what I think will be a multi-decade revolution in how biology and chemistry are fundamentally practiced,” explains Dar. Terry also spoke with James Field, CEO of computational-biology startup LabGenius, which is using machine learning to more easily identify useful proteins for the human body. “If we can deploy technology in building out some discovery platforms in a way that the learnings compound over time,” says Field, “then it will dramatically change the economics of discovering and developing drug molecules.”