Quantum computing moves closer to drug discovery with enzyme study

{"text":[[{"start":6.95,"text":"Scientists have used quantum computing to model the behaviour of protein molecules, in the latest sign the technology is moving towards practical applications in biology and health research."}],[{"start":18.1,"text":"The project, a collaboration between the Cleveland Clinic and IBM in the US and the Riken Centre for Computational Science in Japan, successfully simulated the way two enzymes interact with potential drugs. "}],[{"start":31.450000000000003,"text":"Containing about 12,000 atoms each, they are the largest biological molecules modelled so far with the help of quantum computers."}],[{"start":39.25,"text":"“This work marks an important advance and underscores quantum computing’s emerging role on systems of relevance to drug discovery,” said Kenneth Merz, who led the study at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. It was published as a preprint paper on Tuesday."}],[{"start":55.95,"text":"In theory, quantum computing is well suited to chemistry because the interactions between atoms and molecules are determined by quantum mechanics. But such applications have been constrained by limited computational capacity and the error-prone nature of quantum hardware."}],[{"start":71.45,"text":"The field received a boost last month when Wellcome Leap, an initiative by the London-based Wellcome Trust to fund breakthroughs for human health, released results from its $50mn Quantum for Bio challenge. Six teams showed how quantum machines can work with conventional computers to solve biological problems."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":89.55000000000001,"text":"The top-rated project, awarded a $2mn Wellcome prize, was led by Algorithmiq, a quantum software company based in Finland, which also worked with the Cleveland Clinic and IBM. It showed how an experimental drug used in photodynamic therapy for cancer is activated by light to destroy tumour cells."}],[{"start":109.20000000000002,"text":"“We were able to simulate the interaction of light and [the drug molecule] in a way that is provably better than the corresponding classical method alone,” said Sabrina Maniscalco, Algorithmiq chief executive."}],[{"start":121.25000000000001,"text":"“We also developed a machine learning methodology that extends the number of variants of the molecule that could be tested, and we demonstrated scalability — as the complexity of the molecules increases, the gain from using our quantum method increases,” she added."}],[{"start":136.45000000000002,"text":"Another finalist in the Wellcome Leap challenge was a collaboration between the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Oxford and several other universities. The scientists loaded the genome of the hepatitis D virus on to an IBM quantum computer, encoding the viral DNA in a format quantum algorithms can process."}],[{"start":156.25000000000003,"text":"“This is a landmark moment for both genomics and quantum computing,” said James McCafferty, chief information officer at the institute. “We have set the stage for further quantum genomics research as we have shown that real data can be translated into a form that these high-powered machines can process.”"}],[{"start":175.10000000000002,"text":"Although the hepatitis D genome contains just 1,700 DNA coding units, the researchers envisage building up their approach to analyse the human genome, which is 2mn times larger and to compare the DNA of many different individuals."}],[{"start":192.20000000000002,"text":"Participants in the Wellcome Leap challenge were free to choose any quantum computers, but five of the six finalists ended up working with IBM hardware based on superconducting technology. They said it had the advantage of speed, affordability and more usable qubits — units of quantum information — than competitors."}],[{"start":211.3,"text":"“We now have a much clearer understanding of where quantum can create value, where it cannot and what needs to happen next,” said Shihan Sajeed, Quantum for Bio programme director. Wellcome Leap is now working on a follow-up initiative to build on its achievements."}],[{"start":227.10000000000002,"text":"Meanwhile, life sciences are attracting interest from quantum entrepreneurs. “It might not surprise you to know that all of a sudden we are very popular with venture capitalists,” said McCafferty. "}],[{"start":238.25000000000003,"text":"Last week Qubit Pharmaceuticals, a Paris-based molecular design company, announced a research collaboration with the Centre for Quantum Technologies in Singapore to develop quantum algorithms for molecular discovery. "}],[{"start":250.85000000000002,"text":"Despite rapid research progress, no system has yet shown real-world “quantum advantage” beyond carefully constructed demonstrations. "}],[{"start":258.8,"text":"But that was just a matter of time, said Jerry Chow, IBM’s chief technology officer for quantum computing. He expects quantum hardware and software to be ready for large-scale practical application in chemistry and life sciences in the early 2030s. "}],[{"start":281.3,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1777995375_3238.mp3"}