Accenture Labs and 1QBit Work with Biogen to Apply Quantum Computing to Accelerate Drug Discovery
June 14 2017 - 07:59AM
Business Wire
Quantum computing has potential to transform
traditional R&D drug discovery process, improve speed and
productivity, significantly reduce costs, accelerate new therapies
for patients
Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and quantum software firm 1QBit
collaborated with Biogen to develop a first-of-its-kind
quantum-enabled molecular comparison application that could
significantly improve advanced molecular design to speed up drug
discovery for complex neurological conditions such as multiple
sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
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Accenture Labs and 1QBit collaborate with
Biogen to develop quantum-enabled molecular comparison application.
(Photo: Business Wire)
Researchers at Accenture Labs collaborated with 1QBit to create
the new application which enhances Biogen’s existing molecule
comparison method with quantum capabilities. Molecular comparison
is a crucial part of early-phase drug design and discovery, and
involves intensive computational methods to review molecule matches
and predict the positive effects of a therapy or drug while
reducing negative side effects.
By leveraging quantum computing – a computing paradigm that has
the potential to find the answer to complex business problems
millions of times faster than classical computing by leveraging the
properties of quantum physics – the new application provides novel
insights into the molecular comparison process as well as much
deeper contextual information about how, where and why molecules
match. This is expected to enable scientists and researchers to
analyze large collections of molecules more quickly and cost
effectively.
“At Biogen, we’re always looking to harness cutting-edge
technologies that push the boundaries of traditional pharmaceutical
research to discover new treatments and cures for complex
neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions,” said Govinda
Bhisetti, Head of Computational Chemistry, Biogen. “Collaborating
with researchers at Accenture Labs and 1QBit made it possible to
rapidly pilot and deploy a quantum-enabled application that has the
potential to enable us to bring medicines to people faster.”
In just over two months, Accenture Labs, Biogen and 1QBit
progressed from an exploratory conversation about quantum business
experimentation to an enterprise-ready, quantum-enabled application
that generates molecular comparison results with deeper insights
about shared traits. “As quantum computers become more readily
available, it will become easier for pharmaceutical companies to
identify and develop new medicines for a wide range of diseases and
conditions,” said Jeff Elton, Ph.D., managing director, Accenture
Strategy, Life Sciences.
“Accenture Labs is focused on helping clients across multiple
industries prepare for the arrival of mainstream quantum computing,
which offers great potential to solve challenges in entirely new
ways through quantum-enabled optimization, sampling, and machine
learning algorithms,” said Marc Carrel-Billiard, senior managing
director, Accenture Labs. “Through our collaboration with Biogen,
1QBit and our colleagues in the Accenture Life Sciences industry
group, we have achieved a breakthrough that confirms the speed and
accuracy of the quantum-enabled method for molecular comparison and
takes another significant step toward improving the pharmaceutical
industry’s drug discovery and design process to help deliver better
patient and economic outcomes more efficiently.”
According to the Accenture Technology Vision 2017 companion
survey of more than 5,400 business and IT executives, 40 percent of
respondents are taking proactive steps to prepare for quantum
computing, with 36 percent planning to invest in quantum
capabilities in the next two years.
Playing a key role in Accenture’s overall Innovation
Architecture, Accenture Labs helps clients harness emerging
technologies to change the way the world works and lives. Given the
potential for quantum computing to disrupt the computing landscape
in the next two to five years, helping clients identify
opportunities and begin working with quantum computing to stay
ahead of the broader introduction and deployment of associated
technologies is a key focus area. Accenture Labs has already
identified more than 150 use cases with clients – from portfolio
optimization in the financial services sector to production
scheduling in manufacturing – where quantum computing would be
relevant.
To learn more about Accenture Labs and its quantum computing
work, please visit www.accenture.com/quantum
To learn more about how we are working with Biogen to apply
quantum computing to accelerate drug discovery, please visit
www.accenture.com/biogenquantum
To learn more about Accenture Life Sciences, please visit
www.accenture.com/lifesciences
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company,
providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy,
consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched
experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries
and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest
delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business
and technology to help clients improve their performance and create
sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately
401,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries,
Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and
lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
Accenture Labs incubates and prototypes new concepts
through applied R&D projects that are expected to have a
significant strategic impact on clients’ businesses. Our dedicated
team of technologists and researchers work with leaders across the
company to invest in, incubate and deliver breakthrough ideas and
solutions that help our clients create new sources of business
advantage. Accenture Labs is located in seven key research hubs
around the world and collaborates extensively with Accenture’s
network of nearly 400 innovation centers, studios and centers of
excellence globally to deliver cutting-edge research, insights and
solutions to clients where they operate and live. For more
information, please visit www.accenture.com/labs
About 1QBit
1QBit is dedicated to building quantum and quantum-inspired
software to solve the world’s most demanding computational
challenges. The company’s hardware-agnostic platforms and services
enable the development of applications which scale alongside
advances in both classical and quantum computers. 1QBit partners
with Fortune 500 clients and leading hardware providers to redefine
intractable industry problems in the areas of optimization,
simulation, and machine learning. Headquartered in Vancouver,
Canada, 1QBit’s interdisciplinary team of 50 comprises
mathematicians, physicists, chemists, software developers, and
quantum computing experts who develop novel solutions to problems,
from research through to commercial application development. For
more information, visit: http://1qbit.com/
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170614005426/en/
AccentureHannah Unkefer,
+1-415-537-4848hannah.m.unkefer@accenture.comorCam Granstra,
+1-312-693-5992cameria.l.granstra@accenture.com
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