Oxfordshire has leading capabilities in quantum computing, and a world-class ecosystem for life sciences. What will happen when the two disciplines begin to work together?
The potential is huge, but it is still early days.
Quantum computing has significant potential to help the life sciences sector speed up development due to its ability to solve many different problems at the same time. Quantum differs from traditional computing by storing and processing information simultaneously rather than in sequence. Instead of classical computing’s bits, its fundamental units of information are qubits, which can exist in multiple states simultaneously.
Some scientists think this makes quantum more suited to working on biological problems, as Dr Lara Jehi, chief research information officer at Cleveland Clinic, explained to Healthtec magazine:
“In its essence, [quantum] is a much more naturalistic way of thinking about computing. Classical computing is black and white. It’s a 1 or a 0. In medicine, we have been trying to force nature and the human body into a black and white paradigm, whereas nature and the human body are continuous things…in principle, it’s beneficial when studying nature and the human body to use a computation system that mirrors its continuity.”
Drug development
Developing new drugs involves complex analyses of the ways numerous factors interact with each other. It is why drug discovery and bringing new drugs to market can take many long and painstaking years. Applied to drug development, quantum computing could simulate a drug’s molecular interactions and predict the behaviour of drug candidates very quickly.
It should be possible to create molecules with quantum computers rather than the laboratory. Jean-Philippe Piquemal, Director of the Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Sorbonne and CNRS told Euronews in May 2024 that in the next two to ten years this may make it feasible to tailor drugs to each individual.
Cancer treatment
In cancer treatment, quantum could be used to map entire cancer genomes and monitor tumours via quantum sensors. Frederic T Chong and Teague Tomesh from Infleqtion, an American company with a rapidly-expanding site in Oxford, were two of the contributors to a paper published in Nature called Quantum computing for oncology. It showed how as quantum technology advances, it holds immense potential to accelerate oncology discovery through enhanced molecular modelling, genomic analysis, medical imaging, and quantum sensing.
Vaccine design
Oxford-based Orca Computing, in collaboration with Sparrow Computing and PSNC and working with Prof. Timothy Patrick Jenkins, Associate Professor and Head of Data Science at the Technical University of Denmark, used quantum computing to enhance generative AI models in the context of vaccine design. Looking at designing peptides with a higher likelihood of triggering an immune response by being immunogenic, they discovered that the quantum-guided model not only outperformed the classical approach but also learned to generate peptides more quickly.
Health data
Oxford Quantum Circuits announced in October 2024 that it is working in collaboration with the UK government and life sciences organisations to provide health data.
How Oxfordshire will play a part
The sharp rise in the number of patent filings shows that the pharmaceutical industry wants to take advantage of quantum computing. Oxfordshire, as one of the world’s largest centres for quantum science, is uniquely poised to make this happen. In July 2024, the county was one of five UK hubs awarded a share of £100 million from the UK government to deliver breakthroughs in sectors including healthcare, for advancements envisaged in areas such as quantum-enhanced blood tests, faster MRI scanners, and new surgical interventions and treatments.
Quantum in Oxfordshire
Home of the National Quantum Computing Centre, Oxfordshire has a growing quantum cluster.
Oxford University has the largest number of quantum science research groups of all UK universities, and Oxfordshire has attracted more than £150 million in quantum-related funding.
Quantum companies that have either spun out from the University of Oxford or have found a base in Oxfordshire include Oxford Quantum Circuits, Quantum Dice, Oxford Ionics, Infleqtion, Quantum Advanced Solutions, and Quantum Motion Technologies.
Life sciences in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is one of Europe’s most successful life sciences clusters and a global hub for innovation in the sector, with a track record in establishing and attracting world-leading life sciences businesses. Led by the Jenner Institute, it is also the crucible of vaccine development.Leading companies include Abbot, Ipsen, Moderna, Oxford Biomedica, Oxford Nanopore, and Penlon, to name just a few.
Image provided by University of Oxford