A University of Saskatchewan lab is hoping to stop the next pandemic before it begins with the help of some very large and powerful computers.
Quantum computing is still an emerging technology, but U of S researchers say they don’t want to wait for the devices to be fully finished before putting them to practical use.
The hope is that the powerful computers, which can handle much more complex problems than regular computers, can be used to speed up vaccine development.
“You can use these quantum computers to access very special information about the immune system,” said Steven Rayan, the director of the Centre for Quantum Topology and Its Applications (quanTA) at the U of S.
“We’re already on the path of putting these to use in a way that will be good for society,” Rayan said.
Two research centres at the university are partnering to do the work: quanTA, which specializes in computing and mathematics, and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO).
The hope is that scientists will be able to go from identifying “a pathogen of concern” or “infectious agent” to having a viable vaccine discovered through quantum computing in “less than 100 days,” Rayan said.
This is possible, said VIDO’s principal investigator Gordon Broderick, because the computers will allow scientists to create “a digital twin” of a virus or bacterial agent.
He said the computer version would allow scientists to quickly run through multiple “what if” scenarios, far more quickly than replicating them in a lab.
“What if I protected you with this agent? What if I designed the vaccine in this way?” Broderick said.
Using a computer to digitally try those scenarios would mean only the best ideas would be tested in the lab using vials, cell cultures and animals, he said.
Still an emerging technology
Rayan said “there are limits to ordinary computers,” which are just a collection of off-on switches, zeros and ones, and are not built to handle the complexities of the human immune system.
“But quantum computers are a little bit more like nature itself,” Rayan said.
They’re designed to mimic nature at a really small, quantum level and can be deployed to simulate natural processes, he said.
Like in the early days of computing, current quantum computers are room-sized and scientists are still finalizing the design, he said.
The university is partnering with IBM to remotely access quantum computers in Quebec.
Both researchers say the work offers exciting opportunities for students, who are able to log time on the computers — something most institutions aren’t able to offer yet.
“A lot of quantum computing is really just being treated in a theoretical way at the moment,” Rayan said, adding that many are waiting for the technology to be perfected before thinking about how to use it.
“We’re not really willing to wait.”
The Morning Edition – SaskProfessor shares a web of quantum possibilities at WDM
Preparing for quantum 2.0. A lecture is happening at the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon today. We’ll hear from professor of physics and computer science at Wilfred Laurier University who shares the emerging technology offers the promise of a second quantum revolution
