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. 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. Containing about 12,000 atoms each, they are the largest biological molecules modelled so far with the help of quantum computers. “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.

Full report : A team from Cleveland Clinic, RIKEN, and IBM used two IBM quantum computers and two supercomputers to model biologically relevant molecules at scale.