IBM Quantum is helping healthcare and biology research

Five of six Wellcome Leap Q4Bio Phase III finalist teams used IBM quantum hardware to run large-scale quantum algorithms, and the winning team led by Algorithmiq, Cleveland Clinic, and IBM executed simulations for photodynamic therapy on circuits up to 100 qubits.

Quantum computing is reaching a point where larger quantum programs can run beyond exact classical simulation. The Wellcome Leap Q4Bio Supported Challenge Program was created to identify and demonstrate quantum algorithms for human health that could run on near‑term quantum computers. The program began in 2023 with twelve teams sharing $40 million in funding and narrowed to six Phase III finalists by March 2026. Winners have been announced, and several finalist teams ran experiments on IBM quantum processors. Notable results: - Q4Bio required Phase III demonstrations of algorithms using more than 50 qubits and circuit depths on the order of 1,000 to 10,000 gates to be eligible for a $2 million award. - The program launched in 2023 with twelve research teams and $40 million in combined funding; by March 2026 six Phase III finalists remained and winners were declared. - Five of the six Phase III finalist teams used IBM quantum hardware, including Heron r2 processors and an IBM Quantum Nighthawk with 120 qubits. - The winning team (Algorithmiq, Cleveland Clinic, and IBM) executed hybrid quantum‑classical molecular simulations related to photodynamic therapy on circuits up to 100 qubits. - The University of Oxford and the Wellcome Sanger Institute encoded the Hepatitis‑D genome on an IBM Heron r2 and reported retrieval via an index‑reported verification method. - Infleqtion with University of Chicago and MIT used an IBM Heron r2 in hybrid workflows for multimodal cancer biomarker discovery, while other teams used VQE and hybrid approaches to study biochemical reactions and covalent inhibitor design. Summary: These Phase III results show measurable progress in running application‑scale quantum algorithms across drug discovery, genomics, biomarkers, and fundamental biochemistry. Undetermined at this time.