Start-Ups Partner on Quantum Computing and Longevity

(Gerd Altmann, Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/physics-quantum-physics-particles-3871218/)

3 Feb. 2022. Two companies formed in the last two years are applying quantum computing and artificial intelligence to discover new treatments for improving human longevity. Allosteric Bioscience in New York is taking an equity stake in Polaris Quantum Biotech or PolarisQB in Durham, North Carolina, but other financial details of the collaboration are not disclosed.

PolarisQB, formed in 2020, applies quantum computing and artificial intelligence to drug discovery. Quantum technology handles information in terms of probabilities, which describes infinite information components called quantum bits, or qubits, between values of 1 and 0. Conventional digital technologies, on the other hand, assign values of 1 or 0 to bits as the basis for nearly all of today’s systems. Quantum technology is based on quantum mechanics, a branch of physics for describing the behavior of matter and energy at atomic and sub-atomic levels.

This behavior varies widely from deterministic forms of physics, allowing for matter and energy to exist in multiple simultaneous states and interact while interconnected. Translated into information technologies, quantum properties open up opportunities to tackle difficult and complex challenges with simultaneous operations that would break most digital systems. Many of those challenges are complex scientific issues, such as discovering new drugs or addressing climate change.

Targets and modulators platforms

PolarisQB’s technology applies quantum computing and A.I. to drug discovery, for enacting multiple parallel searches of large-scale chemical libraries. The company says its processes make it possible to quickly assess interactions involving billions of molecules rather than many smaller evaluations linked together, as required by conventional computing. PolarisQB says by adding machine learning to the process, the company reduces the time needed for analytic and drug design computations even further.

Allosteric Bioscience, formed in July 2021, also uses quantum computing and A.I. for drug discovery, but applies the technology to the aging process. The company says its targets and modulators platforms focus on genetics, epigenetics, systems biology, and proteomics to identify processes affecting human longevity. Among the founders of Allosteric Bioscience is Peter Sordillo, chief scientist at SignPath Pharma and practicing oncologist in New York, who studied quantum information theory and quantum computers.

In the collaboration, the two companies are expected to apply quantum computing and A.I. to design an inhibitor of a key protein involved in the aging process. While responsibilities between the two companies are not spelled out, PolarisQB says it normally conducts initial synthesis and testing of new therapies, while licensing the treatments to pharmaceutical companies for further development.

Shahar Keinan, co-founder and CEO of PolarisQB, says in a company statement, “Quantum computing technology is coming of age, allowing us to revolutionize drug discovery timelines and budgets, while improving the overall profile of the designed drugs.” Keinan adds, “The application of quantum computers to solving these complex questions is truly extraordinary.”

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