Panoplia Laboratories, Inc. (d/b/a Active Site) is a Cambridge, MA-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that evaluates AI-driven biological capabilities through empirical wet lab research. Originally founded in 2023 to develop broad-spectrum antivirals deployable on day one of a pandemic, the organization pivoted in 2025 to focus on AI biosecurity, conducting large-scale randomized controlled trials to measure whether frontier AI models enable novices to perform expert-level biological tasks. Their research directly informs AI safety risk assessments and model-level safeguards for the responsible development of AI in biology.
Funding Details
- Annual Budget
- $854,335
- Monthly Burn Rate
- -
- Current Runway
- -
- Funding Goal
- -
- Funding Raised to Date
- -
- Fiscal Sponsor
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Theory of Change
Panoplia Laboratories (Active Site) operates on the theory that empirical, controlled experiments measuring how AI models actually augment human capabilities in biological laboratory settings are essential for understanding and mitigating AI-driven biosecurity risks. By conducting rigorous randomized controlled trials with real participants in real wet labs, rather than relying on theoretical assessments or computational benchmarks, the organization generates ground-truth data about whether and how frontier AI models enable biological capability uplift. This evidence directly informs risk assessments by AI developers, policymakers, and the biosecurity community, enabling more targeted model-level safeguards and governance frameworks. Previously, their antiviral work aimed to reduce existential biological risk by developing pathogen-agnostic medicines that could be stockpiled and deployed immediately at the onset of any pandemic, eliminating the dangerous gap before traditional vaccines become available.
Grants Received
from Survival and Flourishing Fund
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Details
- Last Updated
- Apr 2, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC
- Created
- Mar 18, 2026, 11:18 PM UTC