Quantum technology is synonymous with speed. It promises computers that can perform calculations thousands of times as fast as traditional machines. However, the real story is in the practical applications quantum technology will make possible.

“We need to view quantum computing as not just faster processing but as a complete paradigm shift in how data can be manipulated and modelled to understand how the physical world works,” says Dr. Martin De Saulles (LinkedIn: Dr. Martin De Saulles), principal analyst for Information Matters.

De Saulles points to the groundbreaking work in drug discovery by Oxford University spinout Oxford Ionics, an IonQ company, as well as other collaborations between industry and academia across the United Kingdom. Thanks to substantial government investments, the UK has emerged as a global leader in quantum technology development, helping spark breakthroughs in fields such as life sciences.

To uncover the opportunities and value of quantum, the TechCrunch team asked the CIO Influencers Network, including IT leaders and technology influencers: What is an example of a life sciences application of quantum technology, and why is it groundbreaking?

Going beyond trial-and-error drug discovery

More than any other breakthrough, drug discovery is an area that experts cite as having significant potential. “The application of quantum parallelism to create molecular digital twins is a game-changer for drug discovery,” says De Saulles. “Predicting how a potential drug molecule will interact with water and proteins in the body with any degree of accuracy is impossible using standard supercomputers. Solving this ‘butterfly effect’ allows researchers to fail early and save years of clinical trial time.”

Javier Campos (LinkedIn: Javier Campos), AI safety researcher and group chief technology officer at Peach, notes that traditional computers struggle to model the behaviour of molecules beyond a few dozen atoms, because the computational complexity grows exponentially with each added particle. This issue has historically limited the ability to design drugs by using the principles of quantum mechanics, forcing researchers instead to rely on empirical data and structural analogues.

Campos says that quantum simulation of molecular dynamics is poised to “fundamentally” transform drug discovery.

“Quantum computers, leveraging superposition and entanglement, can natively represent molecular wave functions, enabling researchers to simulate protein/ligand interactions, enzyme catalysis and folding pathways at a fidelity that classical methods cannot practically achieve,” Campos says. “This is groundbreaking, because it collapses the drug development timeline from what is typically a 10-to-15-year multibillion-dollar process into something potentially orders of magnitude faster. Rather than relying on brute-force screening of millions of candidate compounds, pharmaceutical teams could use quantum-enhanced simulations to predict binding affinities and toxicity profiles computationally before ever synthesizing a molecule.”

Quantum molecular simulation may also help researchers better understand both how diseases work and how to treat them, says Gene de Libero (LinkedIn: Gene de Libero), principal consultant at Digital Mindshare LLC.

“This could significantly improve drug discovery by reducing reliance on approximations and trial-and-error, accelerating the development of new treatments and enhancing our understanding of disease mechanisms,” de Libero says.

Accelerating diagnostics

Daniel Jacobs (LinkedIn: Daniel Jacobs), founder and CEO of Starkhorn, touts the potential of quantum sensing to combat heart disease, which kills approximately 20 million people globally each year.

“Our main diagnostic tool, the ECG [electrocardiogram], can sometimes miss early signs of ischemia, due to interference from surrounding tissues,” Jacobs says. “Quantum magnetocardiography, which uses optically pumped magnetometers, directly measures the heart’s tiny magnetic fields with high accuracy, achieving approximately 80% sensitivity and specificity in detecting coronary ischemia.”

Quantum-enhanced medical imaging not only dramatically improves detection rates for various diseases but may also open the door to medical-grade imaging devices and wearables for the consumer market, says Tom Allen (LinkedIn: Tom Allen), founder of The AI Journal.

“Quantum sensors can pick up incredibly faint signals from the body, letting scanners ‘see’ structures and activity that are invisible to today’s machines,” Allen says. “That makes it groundbreaking, because, in the future, doctors could detect diseases earlier; track how patients respond to treatments in real time; and do all of this with faster, less invasive scans.”

“It also opens the door to compact — potentially bedside — scanners instead of today’s large, expensive machines,” Allen continues. “Over time, that same sensing technology could trickle down into consumer devices, with wrist‑worn or ring‑based wearables continuously monitoring subtle changes in heart, brain or metabolic activity, giving people far earlier health warnings than today’s smartwatches.”

Enabling precision medicine

In addition to improving diagnostics and drug treatments, experts predict, quantum technology will enable physicians to tailor medical care specifically to individual patients. For example, the technology could help doctors optimise dose selection, says Peter Nichol (LinkedIn: Peter Nichol), data and analytics leader for North America at Nestlé Health Science.

“Quantum computing won’t make your Excel spreadsheet response faster or rescue that VLOOKUP you’ve been struggling with,” Nichol says. “The potential for quantum to accelerate life sciences outcomes is far more profound. When the number of possible combinations becomes extraordinarily complex, that is where quantum shows its real strength.”

Another opportunity: The ability to rapidly sequence genomes will unlock personalised care.

“Beyond drug discovery, one of the most compelling life sciences applications of quantum technology is in genomics and precision medicine,” says Oreoluwa Adesanya (LinkedIn: Oreoluwa Adesanya), an engineer, cybersecurity specialist and developer in AI and fraud detection research. “Quantum computing can analyse vast genetic data sets far faster than traditional systems, enabling earlier disease detection and more targeted treatment strategies. This is groundbreaking, because it shifts healthcare from a reactive model to a predictive and preventive one.”

Bringing quantum applications to life

The National Quantum Computing Centre, funded by the UK Research and Innovation organisation, works with industry, government and academia to explore applications such as those cited by our experts.

The UK’s focus on quantum technology is an investment that many individuals and organisations hope will reshape entire industries. In the life sciences, this revolution will include improvements in drug discovery, faster diagnostics and individualized treatment plans —applications that could extend millions of human lives globally.

Discover how the UK’s quantum ecosystem is working to supercharge advances in life sciences. Visit: Business.gov.uk/quantum.

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