QDNL is pleased to showcase several projects that have received funding within its Quantum Solutions Forward Challenge programme. The programme’s first open call invited applicants to create roadmaps for quantum solutions that will deliver real end user value in the life sciences and health industries.  

In the initial stage, project leaders and partners are asked to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate their R&D approach and the early-stage business opportunity, before investing heavily in R&D. Grant recipients must complete this phase by December 31, 2026.  

QDNL’s Quantum Solutions Forward Challenges are designed to enable researchers, industries, and end users to deepen their innovation potential and create value using quantum solutions made for the sectors of those end-users. This first call marks the beginning of a broader ambition to apply a challenge-based model across multiple sectors, ensuring that experts can co-develop ambitious, societally relevant solutions. 

The following projects are currently underway as part of the inaugural Quantum Solutions Forward Challenge. 

High failure rates and rising trial complexity have put drug R&D productivity under pressure. A new collaboration between Leiden University (aQa and LACDR), SURF, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, TNO, CWI, and the University of Amsterdam, unites Dutch expertise in quantum software, generative AI, machine learning, and drug design, to address challenges in R&D productivity and improve drug optimisation processes. 

While classical generative AI methods can support disease research, the results are often unreliable due to an inefficient ability to explore the astronomically large search space of molecules. Quantum computing may support far more accurate predictive modelling of molecular systems that are hard to compute with classical methods alone. This means that quantum computers could help generate prediction-improving datasets beyond the capabilities of classical computing models.  

The proposed study considers both generative AI and machine learning approaches to find the chemically valid and synthesizable candidate molecules that have the potential to disrupt a disease pathway – a method known as Hit Identification. Success with this approach will mean faster drug design, discovery of new molecular families, fewer dead ends in the research phase, and improved credibility of in-silico drug discovery. 

Cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death globally, and atherosclerosis is a major underlying condition. QT Sense, a fast-growing startup using quantum sensing to advance drug research, has partnered with the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG), an innovative research hospital, to address the rapid progression of cardiovascular disease.  

The project proposal indicates that the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease can be better understood through the study of free radicals. Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an unpaired electron that easily chemically reacts1. They are critical, yet poorly understood, factors in the rapid progression of atherosclerosis specifically.  

The Cardio-Q project uses diamond-based quantum sensing to dynamically map free radical generation with nanoscale precision, improving the abilities to both predict complications and evaluate cardiovascular drug efficacy. 

The QS-BCMAP project focuses on the application of quantum sensing in the field of biomolecular condensates, enabling study of their chemical and structural dynamics at previously unstudied temporal and spatial resolution. The project is led by Leiden University under the direction of principal investigator Alireza Mashaghi and conducted in partnership with QT Sense. 

Quantum sensing is a non-invasive approach, allowing for real-time monitoring of cell components. Real-time monitoring through sensing offers more precise, reliable results compared to classical methods and has significant implications on understanding cellular organisation and enabling further innovation in disease diagnostics and drug discovery.  

If successful, the project will establish the foundation for a larger R&D effort to develop quantum-enabled analytical tools for the life sciences, opening new avenues for precision medicine and pharmaceutical advancement. 

The Quantum Solutions Forward Challenge highlights the importance of user-centric projects and industry and research collaborations across the life sciences and health industry. Quantum technologies are opening new possibilities in biomedical research, diagnostics, and drug development, but their value must be tested with end users in realistic application contexts.