Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
07:20
Discovery and Synthesis Optimization of Isoreticular Al(III) Phosphonate-Based Metal-Organic Framework Compounds Using High-Throughput Methods
Published on: October 6, 2023
Accelerating scientific discovery with Co-Scientist
Juraj Gottweis1, Wei-Hung Weng2, Alexander Daryin3
1Google Cloud AI Research, Zurich, Switzerland. juro@google.com.
Nature
|May 19, 2026
Summary
Co-Scientist, an AI system, aids scientists in generating and refining novel hypotheses for faster discovery. This artificial intelligence tool accelerates research through structured thinking and experimental validation in biomedicine.
Area of Science:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Biomedical Research
- Scientific Discovery
Background:
- Scientific discovery relies on hypothesis generation and experimental validation.
- Augmenting human scientists with AI can accelerate the discovery process.
- Novel AI systems are needed to assist in formulating and refining research hypotheses.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce Co-Scientist, a multi-agent AI system for structured scientific thinking and hypothesis generation.
- To assist scientists in discovering new knowledge by formulating novel hypotheses for experimental verification.
- Demonstrate the system's potential in biomedical applications, including drug repurposing and target discovery.
Main Methods:
- Developed a multi-agent AI system (Co-Scientist) using Gemini.
- Implemented an asynchronous task execution framework for flexible compute scaling.
- Utilized a tournament evolution process for self-improving hypothesis generation and refinement.
- Focused validation on drug repurposing, novel target discovery, and antimicrobial resistance mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Co-Scientist successfully generated and refined novel hypotheses.
- Automated evaluations demonstrated improved hypothesis quality with increased test-time compute.
- Identified new drug repurposing candidates and synergistic therapies for acute myeloid leukemia.
- In vitro experiments validated the identified therapeutic strategies.
Conclusions:
- Co-Scientist accelerates scientific discovery by empowering AI-assisted scientists.
- The multi-agent architecture and evolutionary process enhance hypothesis generation.
- Real-world biomedical applications show the system's potential to expedite research and clinical translation.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Tandem mass spectrometry is a technique that uses multiple mass analyzers in series to obtain a higher selectivity and reduce chemical noise during analyte detection. Instruments with multiple analyzers separated by an interaction cell enable secondary fragmentation and selected study of the fragment ions.Secondary fragmentations occur in the interaction cell and can be induced by various factors. Fragmentation induced by collision with inert gases, such as N2, Ar, He, etc., is called...
03:50The Scientific Method
Chemistry is an empirical science. Scientists often pose questions to understand the chemistry in everyday life and seek answers to these questions. To achieve this, scientists follow a definitive series of steps that together make up the Scientific Method. This approach involves making observations, asking questions, building a hypothesis, conducting experiments, analyzing results, and forming a conclusion.
01:32The Scientific Method
The scientific method is a detailed, empirical problem-solving process used by biologists and other scientists. This iterative approach involves formulating a question based on observation, developing a testable potential explanation for the observation (called a hypothesis), making and testing predictions based on the hypothesis, and using the findings to create new hypotheses and predictions.
Generally, predictions are tested using carefully-designed experiments. Based on the outcome of these...
Generally, predictions are tested using carefully-designed experiments. Based on the outcome of these...
02:40The Scientific Method
Research is what makes the difference between facts and opinions. Facts are observable realities, and opinions are personal judgments, conclusions, or attitudes that may or may not be accurate. In the scientific community, facts can be established only using evidence collected through empirical research.
01:26Drug Discovery: Overview
Drug discovery is a multifaceted process involving extensive screening, testing, and optimization of lead compounds to identify potential new drugs for therapeutic use. It combines several approaches, including screening large numbers of natural products, chemical modification of known active molecules, identification of new drug targets, and rational design based on biological mechanisms and drug-receptor structure. These approaches are carried out in both academic research laboratories and...
01:27Cofactors and Coenzymes
Enzymes require additional components for proper function. There are two such classes of molecules: cofactors and coenzymes. Cofactors are metallic ions and coenzymes are non-protein organic molecules. Both of these types of helper molecule can be tightly bound to the enzyme or bound only when the substrate binds.