Nordic Life Science 1
QUANTUM COMPUTING // R&D Matthias Christandl, Lea
der, Quantum for Life Centre T HIS IS PARTICULARLY the case in the area of drug design, where it is important to compute the properties of biomolecules and their interactions, explains Matthias Christandl. “Molecular structures and interactions are ruled by the electrons involved, which can only be described accurately by quantum mechanics. The mantra “Quantum simulates Quantum” is what drives the promise of quantum computing to molecular sciences – and what differentiates that field of application from other fields,” he says. Cultivating interdisciplinary research The Quantum for Life Centre, established in 2020, is a cross-disciplinary research center funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The goal of the center is to develop strategies for the quantum simulation of biomolecules, and to show proof-of-principle demonstrations of their main functioning on atom-based experimental platforms, including the center’s own quantum simulator. “In the future, this might lead to faster development of new drugs and speed up the computationally demanding tasks of analyzing and interpreting large amounts of biological data,” says Christandl. NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG | 77 PHOTO NIKOLAI LINARES