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Large-scale quantum computing framework enhances drug discovery in multiple stages

Wen, K.; Zha, J.; Chen, S.; Zhong, J.; Yuan, L.; Cui, Y.; Shi, X.; Qin, W.; Lan, X.; Liu, Y.; Yang, X.; Qin, H.; Li, M.; Guo, P.; Xiao, Q.; Wu, T.; Zhou, Y.; Cao, C.; Ning, S.; Wu, C.; Gao, Q.; He, H.; Ma, Y.; An, Z.; Liu, X.; Chen, Y.; Zheng, Z.; Wei, H.; Ma, Y.; Zhang, J.

2026-02-11 bioinformatics
10.64898/2026.02.09.704961 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Coherent Ising machines (CIMs) excel at solving large-scale combinational optimization problems (COPs), but their insufficient long-term stability has hindered their applications in compute-intensive tasks like computer-aided drug discovery (CADD). By improving fiber vibration isolation and temperature control system, we have implemented a 2000-node CIM named QBoson-CPQC-3Gen achieving stable solutions over one hour on large-scale COPs. Graph-based encoding schemes were further introduced to realize a CIM-based CADD workflow including allosteric site detection, protein-peptide docking and intermolecular similarity calculation. CIM-based methods demonstrated superior speed and accuracy than heuristic algorithms. Especially, QBoson-CPQC-3Gen identified 2 novel druggable sites and bioactive compounds for 6 targets, which were further validated in vitro, in-cell and by crystal structures. Our contributions established a quantum-computing framework for multi-stage drug discovery, representing a significant advancement in both quantum computing applications and pharmaceutical research.

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