from genome assembly to smart inhalers
The Future Technologies Forum is an annual flagship event where technologies and innovative scientific developments are presented that determine the vector of development of economic sectors in the coming years. This year the event was dedicated to future technologies in the field of medicine. The technologies presented at the Forum allowed us to literally look into the future of medicine; genetic scientists, immunologists, oncologists, and epidemiologists presented their unique developments. Most of the technologies and developments are ready for use in clinical practice in the coming years. During the expert discussions, much attention was also paid to increasing the accessibility of innovation for all citizens of the country.
Among other things, the Forum discussed the applications of quantum technologies for biomedicine in the area of cloud quantum computing, software and hardware solutions for quantum-resistant information protection, and quantum sensors.
QUANTUM COMPUTING
The modern era of information technology has led to rapid developments in computer science and computing. In this context, quantum computing represents an innovative field that has the potential to change the generally accepted principles of information processing and solving complex computational problems. Quantum computing devices are based on special principles of quantum mechanics, where qubits – units of quantum information – can be in a superposition of ground states (zero and one) due to the phenomenon of quantum superposition. And the phenomenon of quantum entanglement makes it possible to create and process complex states from several qubits. The power of modern supercomputers makes it possible to emulate quantum computers up to 50-60 qubits in size, while individual quantum computers already consist of more than 1000 qubits.
The potential of quantum computing in medicine is particularly important because the sector needs to process large amounts of data, analyze complex systems and model biochemical processes. There are multiple challenges in medical practice, ranging from diagnosing and treating diseases to developing new drugs and personalized medicine, where quantum computing can bring significant benefits.
Building a quantum computer is a complex scientific and engineering task. Classical computing devices have used silicon-based transistors as the component base for decades. The main technologies have not yet been selected for the implementation of quantum computers. However, a large number of existing quantum computing devices makes it possible to identify the most promising technologies for the implementation of qubits. These include superconducting circuits, ions, cold atoms and photon-based qubits.
Modern quantum computers
Universal quantum computers are capable of performing a variety of quantum operations. They are designed to solve problems including quantum algorithms for search, factorization, optimization and simulation, as well as to process large volumes of data. For example, quantum simulators and quantum annealing devices specialize in solving specific classes of problems. Often, such quantum systems may have a limited set of logical operations. Highly specialized computers can be designed for specific applications, such as solving discrete optimization problems or modeling chemical structures.
Quantum Computing Emulators
Quantum computing software emulators can, to a certain extent, simulate the operation of quantum computers using classical computing resources. Emulators typically provide a user interface for creating quantum algorithms, mathematically simulating running a quantum computer, and analyzing the results.
Software emulators of quantum computers can be useful in developing new algorithms, testing their performance on various input data, and also in training specialists in the field of quantum computing. And certain types of emulators can be used as a method for solving practical discrete optimization problems. In certain classes of problems, software emulators of quantum computers are superior in accuracy and speed to classical optimization packages when solving practical problems. Cloud quantum computing platforms provide a unified interface for remote user access to quantum computers and software emulators, as well as tools that simplify the process of testing quantum applications and predicting business effects from their industrial application.
Application in medicine
According to scientists, quantum computing will play a key role in areas such as drug discovery, molecular analysis and personalized medicine. For this reason, specialized medical centers are already beginning to open around the world, whose task is to develop and early implement quantum computing methods for healthcare.
Genetics
Quantum computing is already being used for genome assembly, a method of reconstructing the sequence of DNA structure based on short fragments of genetic information obtained from genome sequencing. Quantum algorithms have been tested for assembling the genome of protozoan bacteriophages. With the growing computing power of quantum computers, the developed algorithms will be applicable to analyze the human genome.
Quantum machine learning in medicine
The potential of quantum machine learning could be used to discover new biomarkers for cancer treatment. A number of studies in the field of quantum machine learning are aimed at studying genetic diseases – quantum algorithms have been developed that can classify genomic data many times faster than a conventional computer. Quantum algorithms have been proposed to be used to improve the quality of images obtained by medical imaging methods, such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and x-ray scanning. The capabilities of quantum machine learning were studied in the task of analyzing medical images of the retina to identify diabetic retinopathy and determine its type. The research was carried out using a software quantum computer emulator, as well as using up to 6 qubits of an IBM quantum computer. The results showed that quantum machine learning algorithms were noticeably more effective than classical ones when analyzing high-resolution images.
Modeling biological systems
Quantum computers will enable more accurate and detailed modeling of biological systems, including biochemical processes and molecular interactions. These studies will make it possible to develop more accurate predictions of the effectiveness of drugs, predict the development of diseases and determine the optimal treatment methods for each individual patient.
QUANTUM COMMUNICATIONS
Quantum communications is a technology for encoding, transmitting and receiving quantum information. One of the types of quantum communications is quantum key distribution – a method of distributing symmetric keys between nodes of a communication network, using quantum phenomena. This method allows us to guarantee fast and secure transfer of a symmetric cryptographic key between subscribers, which makes it possible to solve the well-known problem of symmetric key distribution – one of the central problems in cryptography. The use of a quantum cryptographic key obtained in this way increases the cryptographic strength of classical encryption methods and automates the process of key distribution, eliminating the human factor. Various methods of quantum key distribution in combination with classical cryptographic algorithms are often called “quantum cryptography.”
In modern conditions, the emergence of powerful personal computers, artificial intelligence methods, and advanced mathematical algorithms has not only simplified gaining access to sensitive information, both for individuals and large organizations. This also poses a significant threat to the growing Internet of Things, on the basis of which more and more industrial, industrial and government enterprises operate. In turn, the development of quantum communications systems was a response to an even more serious challenge – the creation of quantum computers that are capable of breaking many modern encryption algorithms.
One of the promising measures for reliable information protection in the light of emerging threats is the use of quantum key distribution systems using fiber-optic communication lines. The use of a quantum cryptographic key generated in this way in conjunction with the “one-time pad” cipher (Vernam cipher) can provide information-theoretical stability. Quantum key distribution systems make it possible to completely eliminate the possibility of key interception at the transmission stage, as well as eliminate the influence of the human factor from the key management procedure. The key is created based on data from a truly random random number generator and is unknown to any of the administrators.
Quantum key distribution systems can be used with traditional cryptographic information security systems used to secure network infrastructure, where they allow keys to be generated and distributed using the principles of quantum physics, greatly reducing human error. For example, as part of the EU Open QKD project, a joint effort by the Medical University of Graz (Austria), Fragmentix and its partners successfully implemented a project using quantum communications technologies to protect digital medical images and genetic data.
Application in medicine
Many technical devices used in medicine, monitoring and influencing functional vital signs, in the foreseeable future will represent a single network interface environment, defining itself as the medical Internet of things. It is also worth noting that despite the developed basis in the field of regulation of information security means (including cryptographic ones), there remains a tendency to assign a special status and allocation into a separate category with the assignment of its own classification to medical cybernetic products that have the ability to cause potential damage to the health and safety of the user .
The proposal is justified due to the different life cycles of information control systems and final executive devices. This trend is clearly visible in the modern information technology cluster and demonstrates a large number of updates to the software component of hardware and software systems during the life cycle of the hardware component of the product. With all this, distributed systems for widespread digitalization of medical records containing patient information can be intercepted and used by attackers for personal gain. The combination of all factors and threats to information security makes the use of quantum communication systems in medicine promising.
Post-quantum algorithms
Post-quantum algorithms are a new class of cryptographic algorithms that are resistant to cyber attacks using both classical and quantum computers. Post-quantum algorithms can be quite easily integrated into existing infrastructure, for example, mobile applications and web services, as well as Internet of Things infrastructure. Software solutions based on post-quantum algorithms do not require the introduction of new specialized hardware solutions into the infrastructure of the end business client, while some parameters of post-quantum algorithms can be accelerated at the hardware level.
Industrial and consumer Internet of things
Medical lоT devices allow doctors to obtain basic medical data about patients, adjust treatments, and set dosages remotely. The most common application of lоT in medicine is remote monitoring of a patient’s health status. lоT devices can collect health indicators such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, etc., from patients who are not physically present in a medical facility, eliminating the need for patients to travel to health care providers or collect them themselves. A special place in this series is occupied by lоT devices that continuously measure the blood glucose level of a diabetic patient. Such devices are capable of warning about a sharp change in glucose levels.
Other loT devices include devices that monitor heart rate, smart inhalers that collect data on the triggers of asthma attacks, devices that track symptoms in Parkinson's patients, and many others. To make the most of LoT in healthcare, critical security issues must be addressed: the confidentiality of data collected by LoT devices and ensuring that only “trusted” users have access to control these devices. Post-quantum cryptography makes it possible to protect LOT devices from the quantum threat.
Telemedicine is one of the fastest growing areas of healthcare in the world. One of its main areas is telemedicine consultations. Obviously, during such a consultation there is a risk of disclosing the patient’s medical data, so the communication channels used must be reliably protected using cryptographic methods, some of which are vulnerable to attacks using quantum computers. Thus, to ensure the information security of telemedicine in the context of the existence of a quantum computer, it is necessary to introduce post-quantum cryptographic algorithms into the protocols used to protect videoconferencing traffic.
Genetic data
Genetic data must be subject to special protection, therefore the security of the cryptographic algorithms used for this must be approached with special care. The quantum threat does not pose a danger in the case of local storage of genetic data, but it cannot be eliminated when considering the case of secure transfer of this data. In this case, it is necessary to use post-quantum algorithms to develop a common cryptographic key that will be used to encrypt genetic data. In addition, post-quantum cryptography provides new opportunities for DNA research. We are talking about the use of confidential computing, which allows you to keep the data on which the calculations are made secret. The study of human DNA and RNA sequences is important for biology and medicine. Some studies of complex diseases or viruses require thousands of DNA samples to identify patterns and obtain reliable results. However, DNA and RNA sequences are biometric identifiers of a person, which makes their transfer into the hands of researchers difficult.
Thus, the use of confidential computing will make it possible to process and analyze genetic data without disclosing it. Confidential computing can be done using post-quantum homomorphic encryption. Pharmaceutical and medical device companies invest heavily in research and development. Protecting intellectual property related to the development of drugs and new medical devices is key to competition.
Almost any medical service that takes advantage of modern information technologies, from cloud storage to medical applications on various devices, is potentially vulnerable to the quantum threat. This is due to the fact that interaction with the service involves building a secure communication channel. Some of the cryptographic primitives used in this can be broken using a quantum computer. This can be countered with the help of information security software solutions based on post-quantum encryption algorithms.
Hardware solutions based on quantum communication technology and software solutions based on post-quantum algorithms do not contradict each other and can be used together to: provide comprehensive protection of the IT infrastructure of a medical organization from attacks of the present and future.
QUANTUM SENSORS
Today, progress in biomedical sciences is often driven by the development of new instruments with improved sensitivity and resolution that make it possible to detect weak biological signals. Gradual improvements in the now classical diagnostic methods (CT, MRI, PET) have led to enormous progress in healthcare, but further improvements in the sensitivity and resolution of these methods seem difficult (and sometimes impossible) using standard approaches. The most promising direction for a new generation of medical technology based on more sensitive measurement systems is the field of quantum sensing.
Quantum sensors are fundamentally new devices that use the properties of quantum systems to measure physical quantities, such as features of energy levels in atoms, quantum coherence, quantum entanglement, quantum interference and compression of the quantum state.
The use of quantum states leads to a much higher sensitivity of quantum sensors relative to classical ones, up to the possibility of measuring the minimum possible deviations of the measured value. Until recently, quantum sensors were presented mainly in laboratories, but today there is a significant transfer of them from science to industry, in particular, to medicine.
Application in medicine
Some quantum sensors (for example, those based on nitrogen-substituted vacancies in diamond) can be as small as a single atom and, as a result, have unrivaled spatial resolution. Such micro-sized quantum sensors can be used to monitor biological processes inside cells, minimizing the impact on their functioning due to their size. Their sensitivity and size make it possible to record the temperature and magnetic fields of individual cells, which in turn can help study metabolism and study the electrical activity of individual neurons.
For example, a recent study by Danish scientists shows that highly sensitive sensors using nitrogen color centers in diamond can detect weak magnetic fields induced by ionic currents in the axons of the corpus callosum of the mouse brain and thus reconstruct signals from the propagation of neuronal action potentials. Diamond sensors make it possible to measure nerve cell signals without damaging tissue and with great sensitivity. This approach will make it possible to more accurately study the changes that occur in the earliest stages of neurodegenerative diseases and will help the development of new methods of treating them.
Magnetoencephalography
Quantum magnetometers are actively used in medicine for magnetoencephalography (MEG), a method based on recording the magnetic component of electromagnetic radiation from neurons. Unlike electroencephalography, MEG has a very high temporal and spatial resolution, which makes it possible to detect and localize epileptogenic zones with higher accuracy, and also help in identifying complex diseases such as schizophrenia, autism, Alzheimer's disease and others at an early stage.
Targeted delivery of medicines
Another area where quantum sensors can be used is targeted drug delivery. This is a strategy in which medications are delivered directly to a specific cell or tissue in the body, minimizing the effect on healthy cells. This method reduces the side effects of drugs and increases their effectiveness. Theranostics is a symbiosis of therapy and diagnostics. This concept offers the possibility of simultaneous detection and treatment of disease. For example, targeted drug delivery vehicles may also include imaging components, allowing treatment to be monitored and its effectiveness assessed. Quantum sensors can solve problems with detecting and imaging such carriers.
Thus, we can say with confidence that these and other scientific achievements are designed to significantly improve the quality and life expectancy of people. The technologies presented at the Forum are ahead of their time and set the vector for the further development of medicine not only in Russia, but also in the world.
