Anthropic is expanding its AI for Science program with a dedicated funding initiative targeting rare genetic diseases, one of the toughest challenges in medicine. The AI company is recruiting researchers and early-stage biotech companies to apply for a grant that will provide up to $50,000 in Claude API credits over six months in hopes of encouraging new approaches to disease discovery, diagnosis, and drug discovery.
The latest call builds on the broader AI for Science initiative launched last year to support scientific research through access to Anthropic’s AI models. Previous winners have used Claude for projects ranging from drug repurposing to quantum simulations, the company said. We currently plan to organize future grants based on specific research themes, starting with rare diseases.
Although each rare disease affects a relatively small number of people, when combined they pose a significant burden. It is estimated that more than 400 million people worldwide are living with one of more than 7,000 rare diseases. Researchers often face fragmented patient data, limited understanding of disease mechanisms, and long timelines for drug development, making progress particularly difficult.
How to apply
Applications for the new program will be accepted until August 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST. Anthropic has split this effort into two tracks.
The first is aimed at academic and clinical researchers studying the biological mechanisms behind rare diseases. Anthropic said the successful candidate will work with organizations including the Monarch Initiative, an international consortium that develops tools and standards to improve rare disease diagnosis and research.
Among Monarch’s projects are the Mondo Disaster Ontology, which brings together disease classifications from multiple international databases, and the Monarch Knowledge Graph, designed to connect genetic and clinical information across species. Researchers in the program will also have access to DisMech, a developing mechanistic disease classification resource that enables AI systems like Claude to analyze case reports, genetic databases, and other scientific resources to identify common biological pathways between diseases.
Anthropic said it expects participating researchers to contribute to these open scientific resources while testing new hypotheses that may ultimately aid in the development of treatments.
The second track is aimed at biotech startups and translational researchers advancing treatments for rare diseases. Rather than focusing on basic science, these projects are expected to explore how AI can streamline the lengthy process involved in moving treatments into clinical trials.
Examples include preparing regulatory submissions, analyzing potential treatment strategies across a variety of treatments, and identifying opportunities for broader clinical trial designs that have the potential to study multiple genetically related conditions together.
How can AI help research?
Anthropic argues that AI can address long-standing bottlenecks in rare disease research, especially when scientists need to work with fragmented datasets that span thousands of conditions. The company believes its AI systems can help researchers synthesize scientific literature, identify patterns that are often overlooked, and organize information into formats that are easier to analyze.
When it comes to drug development, Antropic said Claude can reduce the administrative burden associated with regulatory documentation, support early-stage analysis of potential drug targets, and help researchers select the most promising therapeutic approaches. While manufacturing constraints and safety research requirements will continue to limit the time it takes for treatments to reach patients, the company believes some parts of the development process could be significantly accelerated.
The program also builds on collaborations with existing AI for Science partners. These include Every Cure, which uses AI to explore drug repurposing opportunities. Population Genomics Center, which is developing an AI-assisted system to support genetic variation classification. The Violet Institute uses Claude for tasks such as bioinformatics analysis, regulatory documentation, and navigating U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidance.
Anthropic acknowledges that AI is not a complete solution. The company noted that limited or low-quality data remains a major hurdle for many rare diseases, while challenges such as insurance approval, access to specialized diagnostic services, and medical infrastructure are beyond the capabilities of AI alone.
Still, the company said it hopes the new grant program will foster broader collaboration between researchers, patient organizations and biotechnology companies, while creating openly available scientific resources that could benefit the broader rare disease community. Results from the program’s first research track will be made available to the public through the Monarch Initiative, and future community activities such as rare disease hackathons are also planned, Anthropic said.
