IBM, Moderna Partner on Quantum for Biotech

Pharmaceutical company Moderna is working with IBM to evaluate whether a quantum algorithm could accurately predict stable mRNA structures more accurately than current technology.

This could lead to a better understanding of gene expression, regulation and development of gene-based treatments.

Moderna shot to public awareness after it used its established R&D resources to develop a COVID-19 vaccine at record speed at the height of the pandemic.

A recent IBM blog on the future of quantum computing in biotech explored how the companies are collaborating to better predict secondary structure in mRNA.

This process is a critical task in molecular biology that challenges classical computers as the sequence gets longer and accelerating the process could help develop novel mRNA vaccines more efficiently.

Moderna and IBM are first benchmarking using a quantum computer against a classical Cplex protein analysis solver. Cplex is a software tool that solves complex optimization problems.

They will run a quantum algorithm called CVaR VQE on randomly generated mRNA nucleotide sequences and compare how it performs against existing processes in accurately predicting stable mRNA structures.  

This benchmark proves quantum computing has a role in delivering insights into mRNA dynamics. As a next step, IBM and Moderna plan to use the new algorithm with longer mRNA sequences that Cplex and classical computing can.

Related:IBM Targets Quantum Advantage with Expanded Software