Dive Brief:
- IBM on Monday unveiled the first quantum computer solely dedicated to healthcare research on-site at Cleveland Clinic.
- The IBM Quantum System One is also the first IBM-managed quantum computer in the U.S. not at one of IBM’s facilities, according to a release on the news.
- Academic medical giant Cleveland Clinic and IBM started a 10-year partnership in 2021 focused on advancing biomedical research through technology, including quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
Dive Insight:
Hospitals looking to leverage their reams of patient data for research and development have increasingly inked deals with technology companies. Cleveland Clinic and IBM signed their deal two years ago, which revolves in part around quantum computing, a faster and futuristic way of processing data.
The goal of the partnership is to streamline data collection and analysis to speed research into viruses and genomics, among other areas like population health, and spur the development of new tools and therapies for a variety of diseases.
The joint IBM-Cleveland Clinic venture also investigates new approaches to public health crises and looks for proactive ways to head off new pandemics, the companies said when the partnership was announced.
The partnership, which includes the use of two quantum computers from IBM, has resulted in multiple projects leveraging quantum computing in healthcare.
Those include developing quantum computing pipelines to screen drugs targeted to specific proteins; improving prediction models for cardiovascular risk following surgery; and applying AI to search genome sequencing findings and large drug-target databases to pinpoint existing drugs that could help patients with Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
Cleveland Clinic CEO Tom Mihaljevic in a statement called the unveiling a “pivotal milestone” in the academic medical center’s partnership with IBM.
Cleveland Clinic’s investment in installing the computer onsite is part of the $300 million commitment the system is making into the Cleveland Innovation District, a spokesperson said. The Innovation District is a project launched in January 2021 with three hospital systems partnering with two universities on research and new projects.
IBM also plans to install a more powerful next-gen quantum system at Cleveland’s campus in roughly three years, though those computers are still in development.
Quantum computers process information in a fundamentally different way than current computers, allowing them to test multiple solutions to a single problem at the same time. That results in exponentially quicker processing speed and faster results, which could go far in expediting the lengthy processes involved in medical research and the development of new pharmaceuticals.
Currently, research suggests it takes an average of 17 years to get a drug to a patient from the moment of scientific discovery.
Along with streamlining clinical trials, quantum computing could optimize back-end functions for payers and providers, saving hundreds of billions of dollars. Experts expect quantum computing to be used in practice as early as the next few years.
