China sets up first quantum computing and data medicine research institute

China set up the country's first quantum computing and data medicine research institute in Hefei, East China's Anhui Province on Sunday. The institute is expected to pioneer the application of quantum computing power in the medical field.

Quantum computing is a new type of medical computing power. The establishment of the institute comes as China's medical data industry is in urgent need of domestically developed and independently controllable quantum computing power to fast-track its development.

"The establishment of the institute will further advance quantum computing and data medicine research in China, as well as the cultivation of professionals in related fields," Liu Hao, a vice president of Anhui-based Bengbu Medical University, was quoted as saying in a statement sent to the Global Times on Sunday. The new institute was jointly established by Bengbu Medical College and Hefei-based Origin Quantum Computing Technology Co, China's first quantum computing company.

Guo Guoping, chief scientist of Origin Quantum, said in a statement sent to the Global Times that he expected the institute to "explore a new way for cultivating interdisciplinary talent in quantum data medicine."

The institute will focus on leveraging quantum computing technology to enhance the security and application of medical data in China, the Global Times learned. It will also utilize its advantages across quantum computing, medical research and talent cultivation to conduct real-machine verification studies on quantum medical algorithms, promote in-depth collaboration between quantum computing and medical research, and establish pathways for quantum computing to empower the development of digital healthcare. All those efforts will facilitate the research and development as well as translation into results of quantum medicine.

According to industry insiders, in addition to China, the US is also a global leader in integrating quantum computing technology with medical research. Last year, the Cleveland Clinic in the US, along with IBM, built the world's first quantum computer dedicated to healthcare research and has initiated various practical applications.

In China, the Bengbu Medical University and Origin Quantum last year trail-blazed the country's first application of domestically developed quantum computing technology in the field of medicine, which could improve the efficiency of breast mammography detection through quantum computing.

This year, Bengbu Medical University continues to explore the use of quantum computing power to accelerate the development of small molecule drugs, based on Origin Wukong, China's independently developed third-generation superconducting quantum computer released by Origin Quantum.

Since its launch in January, Origin Wukong has completed 298,000 quantum computing tasks from 137 countries, Origin Quantum said.