The Cleveland Clinic will host the world’s first quantum computer that was built specifically for medical research, stated in an announcement from IBM. The IBM Quantum System One is the first IBM-managed quantum computer operating independently of an IBM facility in the United States. A ten-year agreement between Cleveland Clinic and IBM was launched in 2021 to advance biomedical research using technology, such as quantum computing and AI technology. This initiative aims to develop the healthcare industry by doing the following:
- enhance research into viruses and genomes.
- improve overall population wellbeing.
- increased development of new treatments for disease and illness
- improve the efficiency of data analysis.
The alliance has and will continue to place emphasis on the development of proactive responses to pandemics and other public health emergencies that may arise. The collaboration makes use of two IBM quantum computers, leading to a number of healthcare-related quantum computing projects. These include creating quantum computing screening pipelines for narcotics targeted at specifc proteins enhancing cardiovascular risk prediction models following surgery, and using AI to search databases of significant drug targets and genome sequencing data to find current medications that may help people with cognitive diseases. The Cleveland Clinic CEO Tom Mihaljevic believes the introduction of the quantum computer at the academic medical center represents an important phase in the cooperation between IBM and the academic medical center. The $300 million Cleveland Clinic has committed to the Cleveland Innovation District, which was established in January of last year and also involves significant investment into o-site installation. In contrast to conventional computers, quantum computers handle information in a more sophisticated manner, examining multiple solutions to a single problem at the same time, and producing outcomes that are faster by up to ten times. This might hasten the drawn-out procedures needed for pharmaceutical research and development. At present, it takes seventeen years on average for a medicine to reach the market after its initial invention. Moreover, back-end operations for payers and providers could be optimized by quantum computing, saving hundreds of billions of dollars. According to experts, practical applications for quantum computing will emerge in the upcoming years. If goals are met, IBM plans to build a more potent next-generation quantum machine at Cleveland’s site in around three years. Work is still under progress.
“This technology holds tremendous promise in revolutionizing healthcare and expediting progress toward new cares, cures and solutions for patients. Quantum and other advanced computing technologies will help researchers tackle historic scientific bottlenecks and potentially find new treatments for patients with diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes.”
