Researchers achieve world first by loading genome into quantum system

Scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and partner universities achieved a world first after they loaded the full genome of the Hepatitis D virus onto an IBM quantum computer, a milestone that may reshape genomic analysis.

A genome is the full set of genetic instructions of an organism, stored in DNA or RNA, which directs how a living thing develops, functions, and passes traits across generations.

The project united researchers from University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Melbourne, and Kyiv Academic University through the Quantum for Bio (Q4Bio) challenge funded by Wellcome Leap.

Researchers used IBM’s 156-qubit Heron processor to encode the virus’s roughly 1,700-base RNA genome into 117 qubits, which allowed a quantum system to process real genomic information for the first time.

The team selected Hepatitis D because its compact genome offered a realistic test case while still carrying major clinical importance as a severe blood-borne liver pathogen. The effort focused on quantum pangenomics, a field that studies how quantum methods could tackle pangenomes, which contain the combined genetic diversity of many individuals within a species.

Scientists argue pangenomes overwhelm many classical computing systems because every additional genome raises computational demands and complicates the search through genetic variation.

Dr. Sergii Strelchuk, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and lead researcher of the Quantum Pangenomics project, said, “Our goal has always been to push the boundaries of what’s possible in genomics.”

“When we work with pangenomes, the information is presented in a form of a tangled maze, but we are building quantum algorithms to help find the best path through this maze when regular tools, such as classic computers, just get hopelessly stuck,” Strelchuk said.

“So, we’re aiming for a simple but game-changing idea by bringing quantum computing into the world of genomics,” he added.

Beyond Classical Machines

Unlike conventional computers that rely on binary bits, quantum computers use qubits that can hold multiple states at once, a feature that may help solve problems beyond the reach of standard machines.

Researchers say this power could support genome assembly, mutation detection, and infectious disease tracking at scales that challenge even advanced classical systems.

The project built on ideas first proposed more than two decades ago by Professor Lloyd Hollenberg of the University of Melbourne, whose early concepts helped shape quantum bioinformatics.

The achievement marked a proof of concept that genomic data can move into quantum formats, even though large-scale analysis remains a future objective.

Dr. Shihan Sajeed, Q4Bio Programme Director at Wellcome Leap, framed the result as a historic threshold.

“In the 1970s, by sequencing the first complete DNA genome, Fred Sanger and his team marked a ‘hello world’ moment for classical genomics,” Sajeed said.

“Nearly fifty years later, through Wellcome Leap’s Q4Bio programme, the Oxford–Sanger team is laying the groundwork for a new ‘hello world’ moment by encoding and loading a complete genome into a computer – only this time, a quantum one,” he said.

James McCafferty, Chief Information Officer at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaborator on the project, described the work as an opening chapter rather than an endpoint.

Researchers now aim to build tools that would allow scientists to upload sequence data and choose quantum, classical, or hybrid methods for analysis.

Outside experts welcomed the advance but urged caution about claims that quantum systems will soon surpass conventional genomics tools.

Guglielmo Mazzola of the International School for Advanced Studies said, “It’s an essential step.”

“If you want to do genomic processing, you need to first put the data in,” Mazzola said.

“It is still unknown if quantum computers can really bring a benefit to this,” he added.

Toward Future Medical Uses

Researchers believe faster genomic analysis could improve tracking of infectious disease, sharpen detection of disease-causing mutations, and support studies of rare genetic disorders.

The work may also support personalized medicine through better analysis of pangenomes, which capture genetic variation far beyond a single reference genome.

Scientists involved in the project say hybrid systems that combine quantum and classical methods may offer the most practical route in the near term.

Some researchers see shorter but medically important regions of the human genome as a realistic next target before any attempt on the full human genome.

Stefan Bekiranov of the University of Virginia praised the technical feat but warned that major challenges remain.

“You’re up against extremely powerful classical computing algorithms,” Bekiranov said.

“There’s a lot of hard work ahead,” he added.

Even with those limits, supporters say the successful loading of a viral genome onto a quantum computer establishes a foundation for what some now call quantum genomics.

The breakthrough does not replace classical computing, but it signals a new route for biology at a time when genomic data continues to expand beyond traditional computational limits.

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