IBM: Exploring Quantum Computing Use Cases for Life Sciences

(IBM.InstituteForBusinessValue) IBM has published a report concerning quantum computing use cases for life sciences.
Key Takeaways are:
1) In the life sciences industry, quantum computing is expected to enable a range of disruptive use cases by linking genomes with outcomes, enhancing drug discovery, and improving protein folding predictions. The time to act is now
2) Life sciences could benefit significantly from quantum computing. However, much of the early intellectual property in quantum computing may be proprietary, raising the urgency to get started and engage with partners and ecosystems.

In life sciences, major challenges include understanding the relationships among sequence, structure, and function and how biopolymers interact with one another as well as with small organic molecules that are native to the body or
designed as drugs. Such problems are computationally complex and are at the heart of genomic analysis, drug design, and protein folding predictions.
Consider drug design. The number of molecules made up of say 50 atoms that can be built using just 10 different types of atoms amounts to around 1050. If we also factor in the number of possible molecular configurations and conformations that can be sampled at room temperature, the total number of molecules that could potentially constitute a valid drug is exponentially greater than the
roughly 1080 atoms in the observable universe. Tackling this level of complexity is far beyond the capabilities of classical computers; however, quantum computers could make inroads.
Click here to download the complete report on PDF.