D-Wave Quantum Computer Performs Protein Fold Problems & Gets 13 Out Of 10000 Correct!
D-Wave, a company that provides quantum computing to solve most of the complicated problems has now deviced a quantum computer capable of calculating how a protein folds. The logic behind the calculation is based on the general chemistry rule - Everything Is Stable At Lowest Energy, and so are proteins! They fold into a shape that requires least energy.
The problem is considered in two dimensional area - where the protein has an option to fold in either of the four directions and each direction is marked by two quantum bits - 00, 01, 10, 11. The energy required by protein to take a particular sequence of folds can be calculated by arranging the quantum bits such that the lowest-energy state of the quantum system corresponds to the lowest-energy state of the protein. The results will prove to be a benchmark in understanding diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, both being non-curable and caused by protein misfolding leading to loss of neurons.
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The system is not yet ready for complex problems and has been successful with calculations including a few amino acids - A problem easily solvable by conventional hardware! Adding to the complexity of system is the fact that a quantum computer should operate at a temperature of 0 kelvin, a practically impossible condition! Hence the system was operated at a temperature slightly above 0 kelvin and the result was - only 13 right answers in 10,000 attempts! But this does not fail the company, main motive of the experiment was to see if the system could perform desired calculations; correct attempts did not matter, be it 2 or 13 or 9000. The company is now sure that the idea works and will work for improved results.
Via:Â #-Link-Snipped-#
The problem is considered in two dimensional area - where the protein has an option to fold in either of the four directions and each direction is marked by two quantum bits - 00, 01, 10, 11. The energy required by protein to take a particular sequence of folds can be calculated by arranging the quantum bits such that the lowest-energy state of the quantum system corresponds to the lowest-energy state of the protein. The results will prove to be a benchmark in understanding diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, both being non-curable and caused by protein misfolding leading to loss of neurons.
#-Link-Snipped-#
The system is not yet ready for complex problems and has been successful with calculations including a few amino acids - A problem easily solvable by conventional hardware! Adding to the complexity of system is the fact that a quantum computer should operate at a temperature of 0 kelvin, a practically impossible condition! Hence the system was operated at a temperature slightly above 0 kelvin and the result was - only 13 right answers in 10,000 attempts! But this does not fail the company, main motive of the experiment was to see if the system could perform desired calculations; correct attempts did not matter, be it 2 or 13 or 9000. The company is now sure that the idea works and will work for improved results.
Via:Â #-Link-Snipped-#
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