Toronto-based quantum computing firm Xanadu has struck a partnership with the University of Alberta to pioneer new quantum algorithms that can help in cancer treatment.
The news: The research partnership, led by Xanaduâs algorithms team and chemistry professor Alex Brown, aims to develop a quantum computing framework to design next-generation photosensitizers. Photosensitizers are molecules that react to light. They can be used in photodynamic therapy, a non-invasive cancer treatment that uses light to selectively destroy tumour cells, while avoiding the side effects of traditional cancer treatments.
From the source: Xanadu says discovering new and more effective photosensitizers is typically slow and expensive, but it recently published a paper on how quantum computers can simulate interactions between light and matter. According to Brown, itâs difficult for standard computational methods to capture how photosensitizers perform when activated by light.
âWeâre excited to explore how fault-tolerant quantum computing could provide new tools for understanding and designing more effective light-activated cancer treatments,â Brown said in a statement.
The context: This is the second academic partnership Xanadu has struck this month, following a memorandum of understanding it signed with the University of Guelph last week. That partnership is meant to prepare Guelph students for quantum careers by introducing them to âpracticalâ quantum computing concepts, tools, and research opportunities.
Xanadu, which became publicly traded earlier this year, also filed its second-ever earnings report last week, in which it reported increased research and development spending and the significant expansion of its US operations in Albany, New York, which Xanadu has called a strategic base for its broader US expansion
Final thought: Xanadu founder and CEO Christian Weedbrook has previously said that quantum chemistry might be âthe lowest-hanging fruitâ in drug discovery given theoretically lower qubit requirements. By working with Brown, a photosensitizer development expert, the public quantum company hopes to strengthen its quantum-based drug design.
BetaKitâs Prairies reporting is funded in part by YEGAF, a not-for-profit dedicated to amplifying business stories in Alberta.
Feature image courtesy Xanadu.