Anthropic has established a wet lab in the San Francisco Bay Area, extending its life sciences effort from computational research into physical biological experimentation. Eric Kauderer-Abrams, the company’s life sciences leader, said Anthropic is combining in-house laboratory work with external collaborations and exploring how Claude models can operate automated systems while humans oversee safety. A company spokesperson said the facility is not specifically dedicated to drug discovery. Anthropic is focusing on preclinical research, including rare diseases and difficult biological targets, while saying it does not conduct clinical trials or seek to compete directly with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Its broader effort includes Claude Science, the acquisition of Coefficient Bio for approximately $400 million in stock, a partnership with Novo Nordisk, Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan’s board appointment and the Model Hardware Standard for linking laboratory equipment to AI agents.