QuEra Computing has announced that two research collaborations it supports have advanced to Phase Three of the Wellcome Leap Quantum for Bio Challenge, an international program focused on applying quantum computing to healthcare and biology. Out of six remaining projects globally, two are powered by QuEra’s neutral-atom systems, underscoring its growing role in quantum-assisted biomedical research.
The challenge’s earlier phases focused on algorithm development and classical simulation. In Phase One, twelve initial teams developed quantum algorithms with relevance to human health. Eight teams proceeded to Phase Two, where they benchmarked simulations of 30–40 qubit algorithms against classical counterparts using HPC. Now entering Phase Three, selected projects will implement these algorithms on real quantum hardware. Up to $2 million in funding per project is available during this 12-month phase, with deliverables tracked by Wellcome Leap’s technical team.
The first project, led by the University of Nottingham with Phasecraft and QuEra, targets covalent inhibitor discovery for treating myotonic dystrophy. It will integrate quantum computing and classical methods to model molecular interactions in drug discovery workflows. The second project, led by Harvard University, MIT, and QuEra, will develop quantum simulation pipelines to enhance structure-based virtual screening, including techniques for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis and ligand-protein binding affinity estimation.
Full press release here.
May 13, 2025
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