Absci vs Latent Labs (2026)
Absci and Latent Labs both generate antibodies and binders from scratch with AI, and CB Insights lists Latent Labs among Absci's competitors. One develops medicines; the other sells design capacity. Absci uses Origin-1 and lead optimization models with its own wet lab to design antibodies against chosen epitopes, and develops them itself, with ABS-201 in a Phase 1/2a trial for pattern hair loss. Latent Labs, founded by AlphaFold 2 codeveloper Simon Kohl, runs its Latent-X models and the Latent-Y design agent as a web platform: approved researchers get 250 free designs a day and pharmaceutical teams work under partnership agreements. Its technical reports give hit rates target by target, and it states that it does not train on user data. Absci suits a partner that wants candidates carried into development; Latent Labs suits a research team that wants to run de novo design itself.
- Its own wet lab tests every design before it advances.
- A clinical stage antibody, ABS-201.
- Lead optimization for developability, half life and immunogenicity.
- A listed company that reports revenue, spending and cash.
- A browser platform with 250 free designs a day for approved researchers.
- An agent, Latent-Y, that can run a whole design campaign.
- Hit rates published target by target in technical reports.
- A stated commitment not to train on user data or outputs.
This comparison is published by AI Health Index, an independent research platform that compares healthcare AI vendors objectively. Absci and Latent Labs are each graded against the same capability taxonomy, from each vendor's own public materials and the regulatory record, under the AI Health Index verification standard. No vendor pays for placement, and no vendor has reviewed this page. How this evidence is graded
Plain facts
| Fact | Absci | Latent Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Primary category | Drug Discovery AI | Drug Discovery AI |
| Founded | 2011 | Not recorded |
| Headquarters | Vancouver, Washington | London, United Kingdom |
| Website | absci.com | latentlabs.com |
Side by Side
Select any grade to read the note behind it.
Each vendor in one paragraph
Written to be quoted whole. Each paragraph states what the AI Health Index verified about the vendor, with the caveats attached.
Absci is a drug creation company: its Origin-1 model designs antibodies de novo, lead optimization models refine them, and its own laboratory tests each design before the best become internal or partnered programs.
Source: AI Health Index, October 2026
Latent Labs offers de novo protein and antibody design as a web platform, with the Latent-X2 model for nanobodies, scFv fragments and macrocyclic peptides and the Latent-Y agent for whole campaigns, free to approved researchers and licensed to pharmaceutical teams.
Source: AI Health Index, October 2026
Questions buyers ask
Can a research team use each directly?
Latent Labs gives approved researchers browser access with a free daily allowance. Absci does not offer platform access; partners work with its scientists on a program. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified October 12, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
How is design success reported?
Latent Labs reports hit rates and design counts per target in technical reports posted on arXiv. Absci reports a 66.6 percent success rate for one fine tuned model in a 2026 mAbs paper and interim clinical data for ABS-201. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified October 12, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
What happens to a user's data?
Latent Labs states that it does not train on user data or outputs and that researchers keep their sequences. Absci does not state how partner data is kept or whether it trains its models. From the AI Health Index, drawn from each vendor's own published materials and the regulatory record, verified October 12, 2026. No vendor pays for placement.
Related comparisons
Other published head to head assessments involving these vendors or their closest peers. The full set for this category is on the Drug Discovery AI page.
Latent Labs is privately funded, with a $40 million Series A co led by Radical Ventures and Sofinnova Partners; Absci is listed on Nasdaq.