Accenture has partnered with quantum computing startup, 1QBit, to develop the process of advanced molecular design for drug discovery.
Various neurological conditions are potential targets with the increased speed of the development and discovery process. Treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis could be improved by this new approach.
Quantum computing is a technology at the cutting edge, and companies such as IBM are working to implement it. Quantum computing can be many millions of times faster than ordinary computing, and it is able to achieve this by harnessing quantum physics.
1QBit aims to apply computation and machine intelligence to scientific endeavours through the use of an accessible, hardware-agnostic software platform. In this instance, molecular comparison will be enhanced by 1QBit technology.
The biotechnology company, Biogen, will be providing the expertise in this new project, a specialist group focussed on tackling neurological diseases.
Govinda Bhisetti, head of Computational Chemistry at Biogen, said: “At Biogen, we’re always looking to harness cutting-edge technologies that push the boundaries of traditional pharmaceutical research to discover new treatments and cures for complex neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions.”
READ MORE: IBM to start selling quantum cloud computing to the masses
IBM announced earlier this year that it would begin selling “IBM Q” quantum computing systems commercially. The commercial availability of this technology will target tasks that ordinary computing cannot handle, such as invisible data patterns and exploration tasks.
Since then, IBM has built its most powerful quantum processor yet, the leap forwards has been immense, with the technology now twice as powerful as the publically available version on the IBM Cloud.
The two latest processors from IBM are targeting business and science optimisation; this move also points towards further important work towards using technology to make breakthroughs in medicine.
