World's First Calculation of Enzymatic Reactions on a Quantum Computer

Today, global biotech company Novonesis and Danish quantum computing company, Kvantify, announced that they have performed the world’s first calculation of an enzymatic reaction by combining classical and quantum computers. In this way, the critical part of the reaction has been calculated with a quantum computer, and it helps to show the way quantum computers and classical computers will work together in the future.

“This is a remarkable achievement that sets a new standard for the utilization of quantum computers worldwide. At Kvantify, we do computational analyses of difficult real-world problems, so we are proud to show the potential of this type of problem-solving. Enzymes work through reactions at the quantum level, making them a natural use-case for quantum computing, and that is exactly our mission. We identify where quantum computing can make the biggest difference and help our partners build the necessary software solutions. This collaboration shows one of the many opportunities for quantum computing in the biotech and pharma industry, and we are extremely pleased that Novonesis sees the potential of the technology,” says Hans Henrik Knudsen, co-founder, and CEO of Kvantify.

The enzyme used is carbonic anhydrase, which might not ring a bell to many. However, the enzyme catalyzes the conversion of CO2 and water into carbonic acid, a crucial process for many organisms, among other things, regulating blood pH and transporting carbon dioxide in the body, and can be used industrially for CO2 capture.

By using this type of calculation, you can potentially save large amounts of time and resources for experiments that would have to be carried out in other ways.

A Partnership that Shapes the Future

Kvantify’s new quantum algorithm “FAST-VQE” makes it possible to characterize the reaction of carbonic anhydrase, which can accelerate useful knowledge for the benefit of Novonesis:

“With this kind of calculation and subsequent analysis of how enzymes behave during catalysis, we can gain a deeper understanding of fundamental biological processes. We will gain insights that can improve the efficiency of our existing enzyme products. This collaboration is an important step in exploring the potential of quantum computing in the future of enzyme research, and the innovation being created through this collaboration has the potential to strengthen our position as a leader in providing sustainable bio-solutions,” says Lars Olsen, senior department manager at Novonesis.

Read more about our collaboration with Novonesis in our follow-up blogpost!

Update August 22, 2024: We have published an article on arxiv.org: “Calculating the energy profile of an enzymatic reaction on a quantum computer.”

About Kvantify

Kvantify is a leading quantum company from Denmark that delivers software solutions to tackle the world’s most challenging and valuable problems in areas such as biotechnology, medicine, logistics, and finance.

‍Established in 2022 by Hans Henrik Knudsen, Nikolaj Zinner, and Allan Grønlund, the company today comprises more than 65 experts (over 35 of whom hold a PhD) in quantum computing, supercomputing, cloud software, mathematics, chemistry, Artificial Intelligence, and machine learning. The experts are spread across offices in Copenhagen, Aarhus, and London and are looking towards expanding to the United States of America in 2024.

‍On top of their quantum and high-performance computing product development, Kvantify is involved in a range of scientific quantum research projects and is pushing the limits of what is doable with quantum computing – not least as a key collaboration partner with Amazon Web Services on the Braket platform.

About Novonesis

Novonesis is a global company leading the era of biosolutions. By leveraging the power of microbiology with science, we transform the way the world produces, consumes, and lives. In more than 30 industries, our biosolutions are already creating value for thousands of customers and benefiting the planet. Our 10,000 people worldwide work closely with our partners and customers to transform business with biology.