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Toward quantum computational biomolecular structure prediction

Tristan Zaborniak

Published Jan 1, 2025• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Biomolecules and their interactions form the material and processual basis underlying all biological phenomena, from photosynthesis to Alzheimer’s disease. Studying these systems is therefore central to the purview of all biological sciences. Computational biomolecular structure prediction (CBSP) supports this effort by leveraging computers to determine, model, and engineer biomolecular structures, properties, and processes—offering a powerful complement to laboratory-based methods. However, many core CBSP problems—such as finding minimum free energy or conformationally-stable structures given sequence information—are computationally challenging. These problems are typically NP-hard in their general form, while their corresponding decision variants are NP-complete. As a result, both formulations are resistant to efficient exact solution at large scales. Quantum computing, a developing computational paradigm leveraging quantum mechanics, offers a potential path forward, given recent evidence suggesting that certain quantum approaches may reduce resource demands for certain NP-hard problem families. Approaches include fully quantum algorithms, quantum-inspired classical heuristics, and hybrid quantum-classical frameworks, all of which may help address long-standing computational bottlenecks in CBSP. This dissertation offers a preliminary investigation of the practical potential of quantum computing for three core CBSP challenges—RNA folding, multi-body molecular docking, and protein design—that, despite their diverse applications, share structural features well suited to exploration by quantum optimization methods. Specifically, we cast each problem as a cost function network (CFN), and develop transformations of these CFNs to quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) models in order to render them compatible with current quantum and quantum-inspired hardware. We argue that these transformations not only broaden the range of solvable CFNs across quantum platforms, but in some cases possess intrinsic features which may offer optimization advantages over native CFN formulations. Using a current‑generation superconducting flux‑qubit quantum annealer, we: (a) demonstrate its use for tuning free QUBO parameters against biomolecular structure data, and (b) benchmark solution quality and resource usage against optimized classical Monte Carlo methods, finding comparable performance. Finally, we package these methods into the Masala Quantum Computing Plugins library, an open‑source, modular CBSP platform that supports CFN construction, multiple QUBO encodings (one‑hot, domain‑wall, approximate‑binary, hybrid), and execution on both classical and quantum backends. Our contribution lays the groundwork for extensible, state‑of‑the‑art, quantum-compatible CBSP workflows.

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Biomolecules and their interactions form the material and processual basis underlying all biological phenomena, from photosynthesis to Alzheimer’s disease. Studying these systems is therefore central to the purview of all biological sciences. Computational biomolecular structure prediction (CBSP) supports this effort by leveraging computers to determine, model, and engineer biomolecular structures, properties, and processes—offering a powerful complement to laboratory-based methods. However, many core CBSP problems—such as finding minimum free energy or conformationally-stable structures given sequence information—are computationally challenging. These problems are typically NP-hard in their general form, while their corresponding decision variants are NP-complete. As a result, both formulations are resistant to efficient exact solution at large scales. Quantum computing, a developing computational paradigm leveraging quantum mechanics, offers a potential path forward, given recent evidence suggesting that certain quantum approaches may reduce resource demands for certain NP-hard problem families. Approaches include fully quantum algorithms, quantum-inspired classical heuristics, and hybrid quantum-classical frameworks, all of which may help address long-standing computational bottlenecks in CBSP. This dissertation offers a preliminary investigation of the practical potential of quantum computing for three core CBSP challenges—RNA folding, multi-body molecular docking, and protein design—that, despite their diverse applications, share structural features well suited to exploration by quantum optimization methods. Specifically, we cast each problem as a cost function network (CFN), and develop transformations of these CFNs to quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) models in order to render them compatible with current quantum and quantum-inspired hardware. We argue that these transformations not only broaden the range of solvable CFNs across quantum platforms, but in some cases possess intrinsic features which may offer optimization advantages over native CFN formulations. Using a current‑generation superconducting flux‑qubit quantum annealer, we: (a) demonstrate its use for tuning free QUBO parameters against biomolecular structure data, and (b) benchmark solution quality and resource usage against optimized classical Monte Carlo methods, finding comparable performance. Finally, we package these methods into the Masala Quantum Computing Plugins library, an open‑source, modular CBSP platform that supports CFN construction, multiple QUBO encodings (one‑hot, domain‑wall, approximate‑binary, hybrid), and execution on both classical and quantum backends. Our contribution lays the groundwork for extensible, state‑of‑the‑art, quantum-compatible CBSP workflows.
RNAs self-interact through hydrogen-bond base-pairing between nucleotides and fold into specific, stable structures that substantially govern their biochemical behaviour. Experimental characterization of these structures remains difficult, hence the desire to predict them computationally from sequence information. However, correctly predicting even the base pairs involved in the folded structure of an RNA, known as secondary structure, from its sequence using minimum free energy models is understood to be NP-hard. Classical approaches rely on heuristics or avoid considering pseudoknots in order to render this problem more tractable, with the cost of inexactness or excluding an entire class of important RNA structures. Given their prospective and demonstrable advantages in certain domains, including combinatorial optimization, quantum computing approaches by contrast have the potential to compute the full RNA folding problem while remaining more feasible and exact. Herein, we present a physically-motivated QUBO model of the RNA folding problem amenable to both quantum annealers and circuit-model quantum computers and compare the performance of this formulation versus current RNA folding QUBOs after tuning the parameters of all against known RNA structures using an approach we call "variational hybrid quantum annealing".
This paper presents a novel approach to protein structure prediction leveraging the principles of quantum entanglement. Traditional protein structure prediction methods are often limited by the computational complexity of simulating large biomolecular systems. We propose a framework that utilizes quantum entanglement to model the complex correlations inherent in protein folding, potentially overcoming these limitations. The core idea involves translating the amino acid sequence of a protein into a quantum state and employing quantum computation, specifically entanglement-based algorithms, to predict the protein's three-dimensional structure. The theoretical framework outlines the transformation process, the quantum algorithm design, and the methods for interpreting the results. We explore the potential advantages of this approach, focusing on its ability to capture long-range interactions and conformational flexibility that are difficult to model accurately with classical methods. The ultimate goal is to establish a new paradigm for protein structure prediction, offering improved accuracy and efficiency.
The 3-dimensional fold of an RNA molecule is largely determined by patterns of intramolecular hydrogen bonds between bases. Predicting the base pairing network from the sequence, also referred to as RNA secondary structure prediction or RNA folding, is a nondeterministic polynomial-time (NP)-complete computational problem. The structure of the molecule is strongly predictive of its functions and biochemical properties, and therefore the ability to accurately predict the structure is a crucial tool for biochemists. Many methods have been proposed to efficiently sample possible secondary structure patterns. Classic approaches employ dynamic programming, and recent studies have explored approaches inspired by evolutionary and machine learning algorithms. This work demonstrates leveraging quantum computing hardware to predict the secondary structure of RNA. A Hamiltonian written in the form of a Binary Quadratic Model (BQM) is derived to drive the system toward maximizing the number of consecutive base pairs while jointly maximizing the average length of the stems. A Quantum Annealer (QA) is compared to a Replica Exchange Monte Carlo (REMC) algorithm programmed with the same objective function, with the QA being shown to be highly competitive at rapidly identifying low energy solutions. The method proposed in this study was compared to three algorithms from literature and, despite its simplicity, was found to be competitive on a test set containing known structures with pseudoknots.
This paper proposes a novel approach to protein structure prediction leveraging principles from quantum mechanics, specifically entanglement and superposition. Traditional methods for protein folding, reliant on classical computational techniques, frequently struggle with accuracy and efficiency, particularly when dealing with complex protein structures. We posit that protein folding can be modeled as solving the Schrödinger equation, a problem ideally suited for quantum computation. This work outlines a framework where quantum algorithms are utilized to accelerate the solution of the Schrödinger equation for a given protein, significantly reducing the computational burden. Furthermore, we incorporate biological information, such as sequence data and known structural constraints, to refine the quantum solution and enhance predictive accuracy. The core claim is that utilizing quantum mechanical phenomena can lead to a more accurate protein structure prediction method. The mechanism involves transforming the protein folding problem into a quantum mechanical equation solving task, accelerating the process with quantum computation, and optimizing the solution with biological data. We present a conceptual model and discuss the potential benefits and challenges of this approach, highlighting its potential to surpass the limitations of current classical methods.
Abstract Predicting the three-dimensional structure of a protein from its primary sequence of amino acids is known as the protein folding problem. Due to the central role of proteins’ structures in chemistry, biology and medicine applications, this subject has been intensively studied for over half a century. Although classical algorithms provide practical solutions for the sampling of the conformation space of small proteins, they cannot tackle the intrinsic NP-hard complexity of the problem, even when reduced to the simplest Hydrophobic-Polar model. On the other hand, while fault-tolerant quantum computers are beyond reach for state-of-the-art quantum technologies, there is evidence that quantum algorithms can be successfully used in noisy state-of-the-art quantum computers to accelerate energy optimization in frustrated systems. In this work, we present a model Hamiltonian with O(N4){\mathcal{O}}({N}^{4})O(N4) O ( N 4 ) scaling and a corresponding quantum variational algorithm for the folding of a polymer chain with N monomers on a lattice. The model reflects many physico-chemical properties of the protein, reducing the gap between coarse-grained representations and mere lattice models. In addition, we use a robust and versatile optimization scheme, bringing together variational quantum algorithms specifically adapted to classical cost functions and evolutionary strategies to simulate the folding of the 10 amino acid Angiotensin on 22 qubits. The same method is also successfully applied to the study of the folding of a 7 amino acid neuropeptide using 9 qubits on an IBM 20-qubit quantum computer. Bringing together recent advances in building gate-based quantum computers with noise-tolerant hybrid quantum-classical algorithms, this work paves the way towards accessible and relevant scientific experiments on real quantum processors.
Modelling and predicting protein configurations is crucial for advancing drug discovery, enabling the design of treatments for life-threatening diseases. A critical aspect of this challenge is rotamer optimisation - the determination of optimal side-chain conformations given a fixed protein backbone. This problem, involving the internal degrees of freedom of amino acid side-chains, significantly influences the protein's overall structure and function. In this work, we develop a resource-efficient optimisation algorithm to compute the ground state energy of protein structures, with a focus on side-chain configuration. We formulate the rotamer optimisation problem as a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimisation problem and map it to an Ising model, enabling efficient quantum encoding. Building on this formulation, we propose a quantum algorithm based on the Quantum Approximate Optimisation Algorithm to explore the conformational space and identify low-energy configurations. To benchmark our approach, we conduct a classical study using custom-built libraries tailored for structural characterisation and energy optimisation. Our quantum method demonstrates a reduction in computational cost compared to classical simulated annealing techniques, offering a scalable and promising framework for protein structure optimisation in the quantum era.