Scientists Load Genome Onto IBM Quantum Computer

Insider Brief

• Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and partner universities successfully loaded a complete genome onto an IBM quantum computer, demonstrating a new approach to processing real-world genomic data.
• The team encoded the Hepatitis D virus genome using quantum circuits on a 156-qubit system, showing that quantum machines can handle complex bioinformatics tasks such as genome assembly and pangenome analysis.
• The work marks an early step toward using quantum computing to accelerate disease tracking, genetic research, and mutation analysis, with plans to develop accessible tools for broader scientific use.
• Image: Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash

PRESS RELEASE — Scientists have achieved a world first by loading a complete genome onto a quantum computer – a major step towards using quantum computing to tackle some of biology’s most complex bioinformatic challenges.

The breakthrough comes…