Why quantum computers will have a main role in the future of medicine

Image courtesy of Steve Jurvetson at Flickr.com

For a couple of decades, some large computer companies are working without much echo in the media about an absolutely incredible invention: quantum computing. The funny thing is that something so incomprehensible to the public will, with all certainty, be one of the most decisive factors in the technological changes that will come in the future. It is not easy to understand what exactly it is and what it can be useful for, considering the fact that explaining quantum mechanics is not a simple task. However, what we can know, and what we are going to talk about here, is that quantum computing is fundamentally different from the computation we currently use, and, among the millions of applications that it may have, medicine, of course, it is certainly included.

Quantum computing, as a field in full research and experimentation (although there are already quantum computers, such as D-Wave Systems,) could have a direct application in the radiology area - although not only in that one, by the way. Some sort of magnetic resonance capable of identifying specific molecules or molecular groups inside the cells and not the organism as a whole is something that a modern computer just cannot do; and such system is needed.

The usual techniques do not operate good enough with reduced quantities, so, there is still so much to do in terms of high-precision medical procedures. The resonance property of this especially matters for the systems operating today, but there are still great technical limitations that prominently reduce the field of molecules that we can measure. Currently, these barriers are now overcome - to a certain extent - thanks to the software that processes the information, but also makes the images more complicated to interpret and process.

Read also: Nanomedicine: a great hope from the small world, by Sudir Raju

Therefore, one of the current needs is a system that uses quantum techniques to alleviate the limitations of current hardware, and, in this way, to perceive the magnetic field as a whole at the same time. This is only possible if one works from the superposition and indetermination that characterize the quantum universe. By expanding the field - which is natural to the instruments we use today - it is conceivable to increment by ten the proportion between the greatest noticeable field quality and the field exactness, contrasted with the standard strategy used until now.

One of the great challenges in this field of computing is that the techniques used by quantum PCs surpass the simply electronic advancements we have reach today, and can tackle the issues with which we daily collide in biomedicine.

But there is very good news. The quantum computer of IBM can be a key piece in the future of Medicine, because, thanks to this system, the complex molecular and chemical interactions could be unraveled, and this would facilitate the discovery of new medicines and materials for clinical use.

Image courtesy of IBM Research at Flickr.com

IBM has presented a large and disruptive industrial initiative to build and commercialize universal quantum computing systems. Today, the leading technologies in computer science are executed on classic computers, based on the binary system of zeros and ones, which can find patterns and make discoveries about an inordinate amount of existing data. However, quantum computers provide solutions to problems in which the patterns cannot simply be identified, either because the data does not exist, or because the number of possibilities that should be analyzed is so huge that a modern computer could never process it.

The quantum computer that IBM is designing could cover a wide variety of thematic areas, so that all future applications of this system would enrich different fields of science, both in the social area and in Medicine. Thanks to this system, the complex molecular and chemical interactions could be deconstructed, and this would facilitate the discovery of new medicines and materials for clinical use, among other things. The quantum computer can foster a key aspect for the future of health sciences, such as nanotechnology and artificial intelligence. Thus, quantum computing could boost the capacity of areas in which this technology is developed, such as machine learning, when the flow of data is very large, without mentioning its possible uses in the analysis of images or videos. Additionally, the development of security in the cloud could bring great advances. It could make the cloud much more secure by applying the laws of quantum physics to improve the privacy of the data, and, in this way, patients' medical records would be much better protected.

Another fundamental aspect in which this technology can contribute is in the field of logistics and supply chain. In this way, the system could decipher the optimal trajectories along the global systems, for example, to optimize the management of transport fleets to deliver during a period of low maritime traffic. Also, sci-fi dreams like intelligent machines that can operate humans could be perfectly possible thanks to this revolutionary technology.

We are on the verge of a new industrial revolution, and this will positively influence medicine. Let's keep the best hopes.

Recommended: Quantum Computing And Health Care

4 Trends That Will Likely Hover Around Health IT In 2018

Image Courtesy of Pixabay at Pexels.com

As mentioned in previous posts by Sudir Raju, the use of IT in the healthcare industry has never been more important. In fact, given the rapid pace at which the industry is unfolding what is likely about to happen, it is important to have a look at what is ahead in the present year: cloud adoption and IT security will continue to grow in importance as 2018 keeps its course. Aside from that, there are other several aspects which will be covered later on in this post.

The Importance of Data and Information

After having take a look at different opinions from today’s health care leading voices, it is particularly difficult to simply overlook how data is being gaining importance, and how different sources of information are now being utilized alongside new technologies and other analytical methodologies to boost the and increase the use of information technologies in health care in hopes to achieve what the experts call a “digital transformation”. They all seem to agree upon the fact that all agents should aim to propose a value-based healthcare, and that that is actually something that is in the works—suggesting that important steps towards this achievement have already been made. Basically, the ability to harness data and information in order to get and discover new insights about data itself will be key to determining future success in this new era.

As mentioned in a previous posts, aside from developing new ways to interact with today’s healthcare industry, it is also key to come up with ways of enabling different agents and institutions to integrate their databases so that they can interact properly without facing any possible setback. Combining data, and establishing a shared “data pool” will be paramount as more sources of information are developed. This is also vital for other reasons: on one hand, this will definitely suppose a major improvement for health outcomes; on the other hand, it will allow the industry itself to reduce the costs commonly associated to its operation in this scenario. However, this also poses new challenges: general and overall acceptability of information across facilities and other clinics; the interaction between traditional and non-traditional information sources will determine the degree to which it can be standardized for all agents involved. 

Artificial Intelligence and Its Interaction With Health IT

According to experts there seems to be a correlation between big data and information pools and the ongoing development and further application of artificial intelligence to health IT. However, although both things are unquestionably going to play a major role in the upcoming years, the simultaneous use of AI and other technologies is raising some questions, as AI itself is likely to end up removing jobs; however, it is undeniable that the use of AI within the whole healthcare industry can carry out the vast majority of robotic processes and different automation activities which can result in more productive results and outcomes. Be that as it may, it is not that easy to put both things together and make them work in perfect harmony.

Why Blockchain Is Going To Play A Major Role

While the healthcare industry is paying special attention to the application and further use of artificial intelligence—for the tech sector really needs to start sorting out the massive amounts of information and data coming from clinical and non-clinical sources—, there is an undeniable need for more advanced technology to protect such data, especially nowadays where it seems to be several arguments in favor of implementing blockchain while the democratization of information takes place. 

Image Courtesy of Pixabay at Pexels.com

The Digital Transformation

As mentioned above, today’s state of the art of the health IT is rather diverse and motley. There are several premises which are used to define what will become of the healthcare industry once it adopts IT to a much larger extent. When it comes to digital transformation, we are talking about the possibility for the healthcare industry yo make and put consumers at the very center of the interaction, diversify competition and, ultimately, increase interaction rates. Of course, the underlying issue will always be improving the healthcare quality. Nonetheless, although all these things seem to have been already defined, the adoption and implementation rates are still far from being acceptable; and although there has been an ongoing development of apps, technologies and health-related devices using top technology, and even though these developments are capable of reaching out to more individuals at a much faster pace, the question about joint operability still remains open since it seems to be much harder than initially thought to provide the needed comprehensive real-time experience the industry expects to attain. Thus, is not hard to see why venture capitalists are paying special attention to consumer-oriented initiatives, for it is undeniable that the industry will also become highly profitable amidst its development.