OpenAI Drug Discovery Swarm Decoded 7.7 Million Brain Cells in 32 Minutes

When OpenAI, PerturbAI, and Scripps Research pointed nearly 2,000 AI agents at one of the largest causal genomics datasets ever built, the swarm completed an analysis in 32 minutes that human teams would need months — or longer — to finish on their own. The result, announced Wednesday, October 21, is a publicly available "reasoning atlas" that maps gene disruptions across 7.7 million mouse brain cells to candidate biological mechanisms, including a new lead connecting the gene DCTN1 to cholesterol metabolism — a potential opening for drugs targeting ALS, Parkinson's disease, and other neurodegenerative conditions. The announcement from OpenAI details the full scope of the project.