Discovery Engines

About Discovery Engines

Featuring the innovators advancing science and technology. Hosted by Nabil Laoudji. More at www.discoveryengines.co

Publisher

YesAnd Labs LLC

Category

science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Dec 2024

Latest episode

11 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

15 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   11 Jun 2026

   Democratizing AI for Biology | Discovery Engines

   Gabriele Corso, CEO and co-founder of Boltz, believes the most powerful AI models for drug discovery should be accessible to all, starting with the open models his team has put in the hands of over 100,000 scientists. In this episode, I sit down with Gabriele to explore the leap from predicting protein structures to designing new molecules with Boltz-1, Boltz-2, and BoltzGen, why he champions open access, their multi-year partnership with Pfizer, and the vision of "zero-shot" drug design. Hosted by Nabil Laoudji. See below for episode links, chapters, and our socials. 🙏🙌 Episode Links: Boltz (https://boltz.bio/) Boltz Repository (https://github.com/jwohlwend/boltz) Gabriele's LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gcorso/) Worldwide Protein Data Bank (https://www.wwpdb.org/) Ginkgo Lab Tour (https://youtu.be/ucrn4-wxBR8) Pfizer Partnership Announcement (https://boltz.bio/pfizer-partnership) Chapters: (00:00) - Preview (00:56) - Intro (02:15) - Why Proteins Matter and Rational Drug Design (05:51) - Target Identification, the Toughest Problem in Drug Discovery (07:55) - Small Molecules and Biologics (12:57) - Does a Disease Have One Target or Many? (15:36) - The Billion Dollar Molecule and How Boltz's Models Work (22:05) - The Protein Data Bank (PDB) and the Role of Sequencing Data (25:55) - What New Data Could Improve AI Bio Models? (29:02) - Where Boltz's Training Data Comes From (31:46) - Unlocking Private Bio Data (35:34) - Boltz's Open Approach vs. DeepMind's Isomorphic Labs (39:18) - What Boltz's 100,000 Users Get Access To (41:32) - Inside the Pfizer Partnership (43:55) - Why Biotech Business Models Are So Hard (Microsoft, Apple, Red Hat) (49:17) - How Boltz Differs from Schrödinger, Recursion and Others (52:31) - Regulation, the FDA, and Trust in Computational Data (56:42) - Autonomous Labs and the Data Feedback Loop (1:00:25) - Faster Trials, Virtual Cells, and Other Speedups (1:03:34) - When Will a Boltz-Designed Drug Reach a Patient? (1:04:55) - How Listeners Can Help (Hiring, Partnerships, Investing) (1:06:27) - Closing Reflections on Access Connect With Us: Our Newsletter (https://www.discoveryengines.co/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/nabilwrites) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/discoveryengines/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/nabilwrites.bsky.social) Feedback or questions (https://www.yesandlabs.com/contact/) Platforms: YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@discoveryengines) Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/40sQCu9) Spotify Podcasts (https://open.spotify.com/show/1wfOlAAqXXaIrXRwO5T71R)

2. 

   30 Mar 2026

   Building an AI-Driven Autonomous Lab for Life Science R&D | Discovery Engines

   Host Nabil Laoudji interviews Jason Kelly, CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks, about building an AI-driven autonomous lab for life science R&D and its future impact.

3. 

   12 Nov 2025

   Building Safe AI - MIT AI Alignment's Riya Tyagi and Gatlen Culp

   Host Nabil Laoudji interviews MIT AI Alignment board members Riya Tyagi and Gatlen Culp about mapping AI risks and building a safer future.

4. 

   6 Aug 2025

   AI for Physics Discovery - Jesse Thaler of NSF's IAIFI, MIT's Center for Theoretical Physics

   Host Nabil Laoudji interviews Jesse Thaler of NSF's IAIFI and MIT's Center for Theoretical Physics about how AI and physics are mutually transforming each other.

5. 

   19 Jun 2025

   Universal Lab Automation - Rick Wierenga of PyLabRobot

   Rick Wierenga, creator of PyLabRobot, discusses his open-source Python SDK that reduces obstacles to lab automation for scientists and startups in this interview with Nabil Laoudji.

6. 

   7 May 2025

   Breaking Into AI for Science - Alishba Imran of UC Berkeley BAIR, Arc Institute, CZ Biohub, Voltx

   Host Nabil Laoudji interviews Alishba Imran, a deep learning researcher, on breaking into AI for science and her work in robotics and battery technology.

7. 

   23 Apr 2025

   Unleashing Scientific Data - Nicholas Larus-Stone of Sphinx Bio, Bits in Bio

   Host Nabil Laoudji interviews Nicholas Larus-Stone, Founder & CEO of Sphinx Bio and Bits in Bio, about unlocking scientific data and accelerating discovery.

8. 

   2 Apr 2025

   Inside the DOE's Autonomous Lab for Materials Discovery - David Milsted, Lab Systems Engineer

   Nabil Laoudji interviews David Milsted, Lab Systems Engineer, about the Department of Energy's autonomous lab for materials discovery, revealing insights into automated research processes.

9. 

   19 Mar 2025

   Unlocking Cancer Priming Therapies (& Lab Tour) - Transon Nguyen of Eigen Therapeutics

   Host Nabil Laoudji interviews Transon Nguyen, CEO of Eigen Therapeutics, about AI-driven priming therapies that enhance cancer detection and elimination.

10. 

    5 Mar 2025

    Unlocking Lab Automation - Sudha Gollapudi & Madeline Wolf of The Automated Lab

    Host Nabil interviews lab automation experts Sudha Gollapudi and Madeline Wolf about building automated labs and making scientific data accessible.

11. 

    20 Feb 2025

    Accelerating Cancer Research - Hani Goodarzi of Arc Institute, UCSF, Exai Bio

    Nabil interviews Hani Goodarzi, a quantitative biologist from Arc Institute and UCSF, about accelerating cancer research with AI and early detection platforms.

12. 

    6 Feb 2025

    Accelerating Scientist Founders - Hemai Parthasarathy of Google X, Thiel Foundation, Nature, MIT

    Hemai Parthasarathy is a neuroscientist (Johns Hopkins, MIT), Editor (Nature, PLOS), and expert at helping deep tech startups build and scale (Thiel Foundation, Google X, MIT The Engine). See below for episode links, chapters, our socials, and how to send us feedback. Want to dig deeper? Check out our newsletter (https://aiforscience.substack.com/). Thanks for hanging with us 🙏🤙 Episode Links: Hemai's Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemai/) Google X (https://x.company/) Breakout Ventures (https://www.breakout.vc/) Thiel Foundation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiel_Foundation) MIT The Engine (https://engine.xyz/) Nature (https://www.nature.com/) PLOS Biology (https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/) Center for Open Science (https://www.cos.io/) Chapters: (00:00) - Preview & Introduction (04:36) - Hemai’s Experience: Google X, Breakout Labs, PLOS, Nature (05:40) - Starting As A Scientist (07:02) - How Science Actually Happens (10:02) - Why Science Communication (14:59) - PLOS Founding Story & Publishing Pledge (18:24) - Current State of Open Science & Scientific Publishing (23:37) - Founding Mission of Thiel Foundation’s Breakout Labs (27:36) - What Breakout Labs Got Right (29:54) - Protecting IP As A Deep Tech Startup (34:29) - Patient Capital and Corporate Innovation at Google X (41:02) - Bridging the Startup Valley of Death (44:11) - Factoring In Politics As A Deep Tech Founder (47:11) - New Entrants to Deep Tech (50:48) - E11’s Breakthroughs as a Focused Research Organization (54:55) - MIT’s The Engine for “Tough Tech” (56:43) - Annual Reviews & Helping Society Benefit from Scientific Knowledge (01:00:04) - Opportunities to Partner, Invest, and Mentor Connect With Us: Twitter (https://twitter.com/nabilwrites) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/nabilwrites.bsky.social) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laoudji/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nabilwrites) Feedback, questions, or discuss appearing on Discovery Engines (https://bit.ly/7zaeqox) Platforms: YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@discoveryengines) Apple Podcasts (https://apple.co/3DkzZrp) Spotify Podcasts (https://spoti.fi/3BzMqiy)

13. 

    16 Jan 2025

    Inside Biotech Lab Automation - Luis Villa of Bay Area Lab Automators

    Luis Villa of Bay Area Lab Automators shares insights on lab automation engineering, from career choices to accelerating the drug discovery process.

14. 

    2 Jan 2025

    AI-Powered Animal Research - Michael Kaca of Olden Labs

    Michael Kaca is Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of Olden Labs, a startup bringing animal research into the modern age through a suite of custom hardware and ML algorithms. See below for episode links, chapters, our socials, and how to send us feedback. Want to dig in deeper? Check out our newsletter (https://bit.ly/aiforscience). Thanks for hanging with us 🙏 Episode Links: Olden Labs (https://oldenlabs.com) Michael's LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michalkaca/) Organs On a Chip (OOC) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organ-on-a-chip) FDA Drug Review Process (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-consumers-and-patients-drugs/fdas-drug-review-process-ensuring-drugs-are-safe-and-effective) Why Animal Research (https://med.stanford.edu/animalresearch/why-animal-research.html) Chapters: (00:00) - Preview & Introduction (03:07) - Why Animal Studies? (06:24) - Artificial Organs and Modeling Complexity (08:19) - Ethics of Animal Testing (12:52) - Olden Labs’ Origin Story (16:40) - A Roboticist in Life Science (21:08) - Enabling Longevity (21:58) - DOME Smart Cage Overview (24:03) - Hands-On Hardware Walkthrough (28:50) - Challenges and Pivots in Hardware Design (32:06) - Software Walkthrough (38:46) - ML Model Visual Overlays (39:13) - DeepLabCut Comparison (42:24) - Metrics Tracking and Industry Standards (45:44) - High Fat Study Example (47:16) - Getting Customer Feedback (50:10) - Enabling Data-Driven Science (52:55) - Genetic Engineering Future (55:24) - Partnership Opportunities and Hiring Connect With Us: ⁠Twitter⁠ (https://twitter.com/nabilwrites) ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/nabilwrites) ⁠Linkedin⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laoudji/) ⁠Feedback, questions, or discuss appearing on Discovery Engines⁠ (https://bit.ly/7zaeqox) Platforms: ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@discoveryengines) ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ (https://apple.co/3DkzZrp) ⁠Spotify Podcasts (https://spoti.fi/3BzMqiy)

15. 

    11 Dec 2024

    Cristian Ponce & Théo Schäfer - Building AI Scientists at Tetsuwan

    Tetsuwan co-founders Cristian Ponce & Théo Schäfer share insights on building AI scientists to accelerate life science research and transform lab automation.

Who has been a guest on Discovery Engines

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jason Kelly
• Riya Tyagi
• Gatlen Culp
• Jesse Thaler
• Rick Wierenga

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

18,840

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

35

Social presence

91

YouTube

76

Engagement

32

Contact Discovery Engines

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.