A complete genome has been loaded onto a quantum computer for the first time, opening an early stage in testing whether quantum computing can be used to process large-scale genomic analysis.

On April 20 local time, IT outlet TechRadar reported that a joint research team from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and the University of Melbourne succeeded in encoding the full genome of the hepatitis D virus onto quantum hardware.

The genome used in the experiment was the hepatitis D virus genome of about 1,700 base pairs. The focus was on using a relatively small dataset to check whether real biological data can be converted into a form that a quantum computer can process. The genome was loaded onto IBM's 156-qubit Heron processor.

The key is the process of compressing genetic information into quantum states to fit limited qubit space. It is seen as significant because it was not a simple transfer of data but a conversion of an actual genome sequence into a structure that quantum operations can use.

The researchers are focusing in particular on the potential of quantum computing in pangenome analysis. A pangenome reflects the genomes of multiple individuals at the same time rather than a single reference genome to analyse genetic diversity, and the data grow exponentially, sharply increasing computational complexity. In conventional computing environments, limits in processing speed and efficiency have been pointed out in such large-scale analysis.

Serhii Strelchuk (세르기이 스트렐추크), a professor at the University of Oxford who led the research, said, "A pangenome is intertwined like a complex maze, and existing computers run into limits," and added, "We are trying an approach to find the optimal path through quantum algorithms."

Quantum computing uses the superposition state of qubits to carry out multiple calculations at the same time. The researchers set a goal of increasing the speed of full human pangenome analysis by up to 100 times compared with existing methods. The experiment, however, is a proof-of-concept stage to confirm the possibility rather than to demonstrate that performance.

Caution also remains. Until quantum systems can handle larger genomes and perform the full analysis process, it has not been confirmed whether they can actually deliver better performance than well-established conventional computing methods. The researchers also view the achievement as a technical milestone rather than a final result.

The next step is expected to focus on expanding the target to larger genomes and turning the current experimental workflow into a tool that other researchers can use. The case is assessed as the first empirical stage in gauging whether quantum computing can ease computational bottlenecks in bioinformatics.