Menten AI partners with Xanadu to develop quantum machine learning for protein-based drug discovery

(PRNewswire) Menten AI partners with Xanadu to build solutions on top of Xanadu’s open-source software, PennyLane, to design novel drug molecules that can efficiently bind to a specific target of interest. Menten AI intends to develop new approaches that are beyond the reach of current computational methods by integrating quantum computing and classical machine learning techniques.
The first project in this partnership will focus on training hybrid machine learning models to generate bioactive peptides for novel drug targets.
Menten AI’s breakthrough platform brings to bear protein design, machine learning, and quantum computing to create and fast-track the development of new therapeutic molecules from target selection to in vivo efficacy in record time. Menten AI recognizes the long-term potential for quantum computing to deliver on the promise of computational drug design by enabling superior optimization and simulation of molecules while significantly reducing R&D costs and expediting time to patients’ hands. The team’s decision to use PennyLane as the base for its quantum machine learning solutions will accelerate the drug design process and deliver new, more potent, and safer molecules faster.
“Xanadu’s PennyLane platform offers a convenient integration of scientific computing and machine learning libraries with access to commercially available quantum simulators and NISQ devices. This allows for rapid prototyping and deployment of hybrid quantum-classical algorithms that take advantage of the state-of-the-art in both computing modalities, allowing us to focus on generating novel peptide candidates rather than integrating these libraries ourselves. NISQ era quantum advantage will require intelligent use of quantum and classical computing in tandem, and PennyLane moves us a step in that direction,” says Ian MacCormack, PhD, Senior Quantum Computing Scientist at Menten AI.
PennyLane’s differentiable programming approach to quantum computing is both powerful and user-friendly. It seamlessly integrates classical machine learning libraries with quantum hardware and simulators, allowing users to train quantum computers in the same way as neural networks.
“One of the central goals for PennyLane is to provide its users with all the tools necessary to develop and implement new quantum algorithms. Menten AI’s decision to build their solutions on top of PennyLane is a testament of the success of this goal. We are happy to welcome them to the growing worldwide community of PennyLane users across industry and academia,” said Juan Miguel Arrazola, Xanadu’s Head of Algorithms.