Simulating Life with AI: A New Era in Biology with Michael Antonov & Natalie Ma from Deep Origin

In this episode of Renegade Science, host Maria Nimfuehr speaks with Michael Antonov, founder and CEO of Deep Origin, and Natalie Ma, the company’s Head of Business Development. Antonov, best known as the co-founder of Oculus, shares how his passion for advancing human potential led him from virtual reality to tackling one of biology’s biggest challenges — simulating life itself. Together with Ma, a biologist with hands-on drug development experience, they discuss how Deep Origin uses AI to model biology from atoms to cells to entire systems, aiming to accelerate drug discovery and longevity research. The conversation delves into the parallels between drug development and software engineering, the hurdles biotech AI faces, and why venture capital often overlooks life science software. Insightful and forward-looking, the episode offers a rare glimpse into how Deep Origin is reimagining the future of biology and medicine through computational simulation.