The development of vaccines and drugs in the medical field usually takes from 10-15 years. The COVID-19 vaccine was developed in under 12 months, shattering the previous record for medical developments; however, with the recent introduction to quantum computing, the development stage for creating vaccines or other drugs could potentially take a few weeks, or even days. Quantum computing can greatly impact the development of medicine in emergency situations, saving thousands, if not millions of lives in the near future.
The possibilities behind quantum computing are practically limitless, but how does it actually work?
According to the Department of Energy, quantum computing is an emerging field of technology that consists of quantum bits (qubits) encoded with information, which can process and produce high quality solutions to complex problems in a fraction of the time of traditional supercomputers. Quantum computing takes advantage of the laws of quantum mechanics to simulate the outcomes provided by the information encoded into the qubits through the concept of superposition (NIST). Qubits can simulate outcomes of complex problems at the same time due to their position being undefined until measured, resulting in the possibility of gathering information way faster than traditional computing bits. However, quantum computing’s current downside is that qubits are still unstable compared to digital bits, producing somewhat unreliable results at this stage of development. (University of Waterloo)
This field of computing is still experimental as researchers race to create a qubit that is stable and functional, but due to quantum error correction, this technology is rapidly developing. Earlier this year, Microsoft unveiled its first model of a quantum processing unit, Majorana 1, which is the first of its kind to be released to the public. Powered by a topological core, Majorana 1 fits a million qubits in 1 chip, which can simulate problems that are currently unsolvable. (Microsoft)
How does quantum computing affect the medical field?
The potential innovations that quantum computing offers for the medical field are endless. According to James Chow from the National Library of Medicine, quantum computing offers the possibility for more efficient molecular modeling, which can scan chemical databases to find molecular candidates that fit specific criteria. These implications will be revolutionary for pharmaceutical innovation due to the vast chemical combinations quantum computing can simulate in a fraction of the time traditional computing can, substantially aiding drug development sectors.
Furthermore, this technology can augment diagnostic analysis for conditions such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, among others through data detection and comparison on different models. This would not only positively impact diagnostic medicine, but would also increase the accuracy of certain diagnosis through the detection of these conditions. This is evidently seen when quantum computing outperformed traditional computing’s 92% accuracy on the detection of Alzheimer’s with a 97% accuracy rate through the hybrid classical-quantum neural networks. (Fairburn)
In the field of radiology, quantum computing can process images produced by machinery and create visual models of the human body down to the cellular level with more accuracy than before, aiding imaging in this field. (Wilkes) Due to the error mitigation found in quantum computing, it achieved higher accuracy than traditional methods, having a 75.6% accuracy rate compared to the 69% accuracy rate of previous methods. In radiation oncology, quantum computing allowed enhanced imaging for tumor delineation, creating more successful diagnosis when tested. (Fairburn)
Overall, quantum computing’s processing power and ability to simulate complex models will be vital in the future of the medical field through its implementation in diagnostic medicine and other fields, which will greatly increase the detection accuracy of disease and can improve the way in which drugs are formulated and tested in the pharmaceutical sector. Finally, the possibilities in radiation and oncology prove that quantum computing is a revolutionary technology that will create room for innovation and save many lives.
Bibliography
Chow, J. C. L. (2024). Quantum Computing in Medicine. Medical Sciences, 12(4), 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/medsci12040067
DOE Explains. . .Quantum Computing. (n.d.). Energy.gov. https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsquantum-computing
Fairburn, S. C., Jehi, L., Bicknell, B. T., Wilkes, B. G., & Panuganti, B. (2025). Applications of quantum computing in clinical care. Frontiers in Medicine, 12, Article 1573016. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1573016
Microsoft’s Majorana 1 Chip Carves New Path for Quantum Computing – Source. (2025, February 19). Source. https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/innovation/microsofts-majorana-1-chip-carves-new-path-for-quantum-computing/
Quantum Computing Explained | NIST. (2025, August 22). NIST. https://www.nist.gov/quantum-information-science/quantum-computing-explained
Qubits | Institute for Quantum Computing | University of Waterloo. (n.d.). https://uwaterloo.ca/institute-for-quantum-computing/resources/quantum-101/qist/qubits
