Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize how new drugs are developed. With the ability to take on challenges too complex for traditional computers, the process is able to accelerate every stage of drug discovery, from target identification and candidate optimization to clinical development. Three companies founded and led by women are harnessing the power of quantum computing to develop the next generation of precise, inexpensive, and cost-effective therapies.
What makes quantum computing so exciting?
Quantum computing is a field of computer science based on quantum mechanics, the science that explores the behavior of light and matter at an atomic and subatomic level. Quantum computers harness subatomic particles (e.g., photons and electrons) to carry information and run multidimensional algorithms. In traditional computers, the basic units of data, or bits, can take on only one state. However, quantum data (qubits) can exist in two states simultaneously, increasing their computing power exponentially. This power enables quantum computers to run a multitude of parallel computations to solve highly complex problems that would be time-consuming or even impossible for classic computers to solve.
Quantum computing in R&D
One of the most promising aspects of quantum computing is its application in drug development. New drugs can take years or even decades to make it from the laboratory bench to patients’ bedsides. Computers are already widely used to improve drug research and development (R&D). The superior processing power of quantum computers’ enables them to accelerate and optimize every stage of drug development, particularly during the discovery phase. A recent example of this application is the use of quantum computing to speed up screening and design of potential COVID-19 treatments.
There are a few ways that quantum computing can make drug R&D more efficient. Quantum computers can screen a potentially infinite number of potential targets to identify the best candidates earlier in development, reducing time and money wasted on poor leads. The computers may also be able to predict the properties of potential drug targets and candidates and simulate 3D interactions between molecules with a high degree of accuracy. The combination of quantum computing and artificial intelligence (AI) in drug development is particularly exciting. The greater processing power of quantum computers could open up new avenues to model disease, identify potential drug targets, and optimize candidate structure.
Three women-led companies using quantum computing for drug discovery
1. POLARISqb
Co-founded by CEO Dr. Shahar Keinan, POLARISqb is an industry pioneer that developed the first drug discovery software designed specifically for quantum computers. Launch in 2020, the North Carolina-based startup has already made waves with its drug design platform Tachyontm, which uses quantum computing to build and analyze libraries consisting of billions of small molecules to identify the best potential drug candidates. Most impressively, the technology can accomplish this in seconds and, using machine learning, grows more efficient with each run.
Last year, POLARISqb announced partnerships with Allosteric Bioscience to develop therapies for aging and age-related diseases and PhoreMost Limited to develop next-generation cancer treatments. In August, the company announced that, in partnership with AI pharmaceutical company Auransa, they had identified two promising targets for triple-negative breast cancer, the most aggressive and deadliest form of the disease. Moreover, POLARISqb has identified and is testing multiple lead candidates for both potential targets. That lightning-fast development inspired investors to pour $2.1 million seed funding into the company.
2. Algorithmiq
Led by co-founder and CEO Dr. Sabrina Maniscalco, Algorithmiq is known in the industry for its boundary-pushing quantum and quantum-classical algorithms developed with the goal of making drug development faster, cheaper, and more precise. Last year, the Finnish startup launched Aurora, a quantum chemistry-powered drug discovery platform. The platform, which can run on any quantum device, will optimize chemical simulations to predict small molecule interactions with targets with the highest accuracy.
In November, the company announced a partnership with IBM to explore the advantages of quantum computing in computer-aided drug design. Maniscalco believes the startup’s work will yield drugs that reach the clinical trial stage within the next three years. Last year, Algorithmiq won the Europas Tech Startup Awards Hottest Deeptech Startup and was named one of the top EU deep tech startups by Business Insider. In addition, the start-up raised $4 million in seed funding last year.
3. Aqemia
Launched in 2019, Aqemia has a simple goal: massively accelerate and scale the drug discovery process using quantum physics-powered AI. The Paris-based startup was co-founded by COO Emmanuelle Martiano and CEO Maximilien Levesque as a spin-off of the specialized university École normale supérieure. Aqemia’s platform is unique among quantum computing-based drug discovery companies because it uses deep physics algorithms to generate its own data to power the AI.
After only three years, Aqemia has fostered several high-impact partnerships that harness quantum mechanics and machine learning to power drug discovery. In June, the company announced it had extended its collaboration with Sanofi. The companies’ partnership began in 2020 and has already yielded promising cancer therapy targets. Last month, the company also extended its partnership with Servier to identify new cancer drug targets using AI. Additionally, Aqemia recently launched a pilot study in partnership with Janssen to predict the effectiveness of candidate molecules for specific targets. The company has raised $29.5 million in seed and Series A funding.
Author
Aisha Abdullah, PhD 