Gates Foundation backs DaltonTx's AI push for faster tuberculosis drugs
What's the deal? DaltonTxDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has been awarded a grant from the Gates FoundationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to advance tuberculosis drug discovery using its AI platform, Dalton. The London-based startup, which calls itself "the decision engine for drug discovery," announced the award on October 15, 2026.
How it works: The funding supports large-scale computational screening of Mycobacterium tuberculosis , the bacterium behind TB. Using protein structure prediction, machine learning, and physics-based modelling, the project will analyse hundreds of essential TB genes to find novel chemical starting points for new drugs.
Why now? TB and other infectious diseases place a heavy burden on low- and middle-income countries, and there is an urgent need for faster, cheaper drug discovery. Evaluating potential drug-target interactions at proteome scale could cut the time and cost of finding promising chemical leads.
What's the endgame? DaltonTx will partner with ErsiliaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a non-profit that equips scientists in low- and middle-income countries with AI tools. Validated models, datasets, and workflows will be shared via the Ersilia Model Hub, with training and workshops planned across the Global South.
The project also aims to build computationally efficient model versions for lower-resource research settings, so the tools work regardless of geography or computing infrastructure.
The signal: The award is a marker of prominence for DaltonTx, following recent tie-ups with Bonito BiosciencesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Sygnature Discovery. "This project demonstrates how the Dalton platform can be applied to complex scientific challenges at scale," said chief executive officer and co-founder Garry Pairaudeau, pointing to a broader shift toward AI-driven infectious disease research.
Read more: Business Insider
Image credit: Enzymlogic
