Manas AI, an innovative drug discovery platform, has officially launched with $24.6 million in seed funding, spearheaded by General Catalyst and LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman.

Siddhartha Mukherjee, a Pulitzer Prize-winning oncologist, will take the helm as CEO of Manas AI, while Hoffman serves as a co-founder and key investor.

The company aims to revolutionize cancer treatment through AI-driven drug discovery, focusing initially on aggressive cancers such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphoma.

Mukherjee and Hoffman envision a future where drug development timelines are drastically reduced from decades to just a few years, expediting access to life-saving therapies.

In partnership with Microsoft, Manas AI will leverage the Azure cloud platform to enhance drug development efforts targeting cancer, autoimmune diseases, and rare conditions.

To bolster its credibility in biomedical research, Manas AI has established a scientific advisory board featuring distinguished figures, including Nobel laureate Craig Mello and esteemed professors from top universities.

Despite its ambitious goals, Manas AI's funding is notably smaller compared to other AI drug discovery companies, such as Xaira and Treeline Biosciences.

Hoffman's strong ties with Microsoft, which acquired LinkedIn in 2016, will likely play a crucial role in the success of Manas AI's initiatives.

Utilizing proprietary AI, computational chemistry, and molecular docking techniques, Manas AI will streamline the drug discovery process from initial identification to clinical trials.

The startup is also set to embark on Project Cosmos, which aims to deepen the understanding of how drug molecules interact with biological targets, further transforming drug discovery.

Manas AI's initial focus will be on developing treatments for aggressive cancers, with plans to broaden its scope to include other diseases in the future.

The seed funding will be allocated to scaling the AI platform, expanding global clinical programs, and enhancing the drug candidate pipeline.