Boltz-2 AI model sets new speed benchmark in drug discovery

Published 06/06/2025, 15:06
Boltz-2 AI model sets new speed benchmark in drug discovery

SALT LAKE CITY - In a significant advancement for drug discovery, researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Recursion (NASDAQ: RXRX), a tech-bio company with a market capitalization of $2 billion, have released an open-source biomolecular model named Boltz-2. According to InvestingPro data, the company has seen significant momentum recently, with its stock price rising over 9% in the past week despite broader market challenges. The model, which is the first to combine structure and binding affinity prediction, is touted to operate up to 1000 times faster than current standard benchmarks.

Boltz-2 is a collaborative innovation leveraging MIT’s academic expertise and Recursion’s artificial intelligence research, powered by NVIDIA-accelerated supercomputing. This new AI model outperforms existing biomolecular structure prediction models, including its predecessor, Boltz-1, and is comparable in accuracy to physics-based free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations.

According to Regina Barzilay, MIT School of Engineering Distinguished Professor and AI faculty lead at Jameel Clinic and CSAIL, Boltz-2 not only solves a long-standing challenge in drug discovery but also enables scientists to explore new biological questions previously unattainable with more computationally demanding methods. The open-source nature of Boltz-2, including its training code, allows for easy adaptation and enhances its utility in accelerating discovery.

Najat Khan, Chief R&D Officer at Recursion, emphasized the practicality of Boltz-2 in drug development, highlighting its ability to predict molecular structure and binding affinity simultaneously, thus aiding R&D teams in focusing on the most promising compounds.

Key differentiators of Boltz-2 include near-FEP accuracy at significantly reduced computational costs, superior benchmark performance, and the unique ability to model complex 3D structures while predicting binding affinity and protein dynamics. The model also features improved physical plausibility and user control, and it has been trained on an extensive dataset, including molecular dynamics simulations and approximately 5 million binding affinity assay measurements.

Boltz-2’s development was led by the Boltz team at MIT under the supervision of professors Regina Barzilay and Tommi Jaakkola, in collaboration with Recursion researchers. The model has been made available under an MIT license for both academic and commercial use, aligning with MIT and Recursion’s commitment to accessible AI tools for drug developers.

Recursion, listed on NASDAQ: RXRX, is recognized for its Recursion OS platform and its role in decoding biology to improve lives. The company operates one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers and is a key member of BioHive, Utah’s life sciences industry collective. Financial data from InvestingPro shows the company maintains a strong financial position with more cash than debt on its balance sheet and a healthy current ratio of 4.11, indicating robust short-term liquidity. While the company is currently not profitable, three analysts have recently revised their earnings expectations upward for the upcoming period.Want to dive deeper into Recursion’s financial health and growth prospects? InvestingPro subscribers have access to over 30 additional financial metrics and exclusive analysis, including detailed Fair Value calculations and comprehensive financial health scores.

This news is based on a press release statement. For further information, Recursion has provided details on the Boltz-2 model at their dedicated website. The company’s revenue has shown strong growth, with a 29% increase in the last twelve months, though analysts note the company faces challenges with profitability as reflected in its negative EBITDA of -$526 million.

In other recent news, Recursion Pharmaceuticals reported its first-quarter 2025 financial results, which slightly missed analysts’ expectations. The company posted an earnings per share (EPS) of -$0.50 compared to the forecasted -$0.49, and revenue of $14.75 million, falling short of the expected $14.98 million. Despite this, Recursion maintains a robust cash position with $509 million, anticipated to support operations until mid-2027. Meanwhile, BofA Securities downgraded its price target for Recursion from $10.00 to $8.00, maintaining a Neutral rating, following the company’s decision to deprioritize several pipeline programs. Recursion also announced the filing of a prospectus supplement to register for resale approximately 4.26 million shares of its Class A common stock, issued to Tempus Labs in lieu of annual license fees. Additionally, Recursion received a $7 million milestone payment from Sanofi as part of a larger potential deal worth up to $300 million. The company’s merger with Exscientia has prompted adjustments in its financial model, reflecting a more streamlined pipeline.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

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