The prospects of quantum computing in computational molecular biology
WIREs Computational Molecular Science · 2021 · Peer-reviewed review
Original publication · Original publication
Attributed extracts from the research record
“Quantum computers promise faster algorithms that can affect molecular biology and bioinformatics – for example, in data analysis, electronic structure simulations and protein modeling.”
“The potential of even small quantum computers to outperform the best supercomputers on certain tasks may prove transformative to computational biology, promising to make impossible problems difficult, and difficult problems routine.”
“There are potential benefits across the entire field, from the ability to process vast amounts of information and run machine learning algorithms far more efficiently, to algorithms for quantum simulation that are poised to improve computational calculations in drug discovery, to quantum algorithms for optimization that may advance fields from protein structure prediction to network analysis.”
Evidence and provenance
Chapter Trust Factor uses a minimum of three distinct qualifying studies. Publication records retain their own evidence and assessment.
Study design and assessment
- design
- Peer-reviewed review
- assessment
- category
- review
- peer Reviewed
- true
- is Randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- basis
- The author institution identifies this as a peer-reviewed review of quantum computation. The imported citation linked to the military binaural-beat trial in error; the publisher DOI and university record resolve its identity.
- sources
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A9fcfe879-d852-4678-a21d-f9bc009d43be · https://doi.org/10.1002/wcms.1481
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- trust Factor
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- The author institution identifies this as a peer-reviewed review of quantum computation. The imported citation linked to the military binaural-beat trial in error; the publisher DOI and university record resolve its identity.
- sources
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A9fcfe879-d852-4678-a21d-f9bc009d43be · https://doi.org/10.1002/wcms.1481
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- evidence
- trial Id
- Not recorded
Topics and recorded topic scores
- key
- general:sound-xxviii
- title
- Quantum computing methods for bioinformatics and gene-expression modelling
- collection
- general
- trust Score
- Not recorded
Citation snapshot and identifiers
- id
- src-9329423f6826
- doi
- 10.1002/wcms.1481
- pmid
- Not recorded
- citation Snapshot
- Not recorded
- citations By Collection
- general
- 4
Complete approved library record
- id
- src-9329423f6826
- publication Key
- Not recorded
- aliases
- None recorded
- title
- The prospects of quantum computing in computational molecular biology
- journal
- WIREs Computational Molecular Science
- neurotransmitters
- None recorded
- year
- 2021
- authors
- design
- Peer-reviewed review
- kind
- Review / synthesis
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- doi
- 10.1002/wcms.1481
- pmid
- Not recorded
- urls
https://doi.org/10.1002/wcms.1481 · https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A9fcfe879-d852-4678-a21d-f9bc009d43be
- collections
general
- categories
Methods & context
- targets
- None recorded
- priority
- 1
- quotes
“Quantum computers promise faster algorithms that can affect molecular biology and bioinformatics – for example, in data analysis, electronic structure simulations and protein modeling.” · “The potential of even small quantum computers to outperform the best supercomputers on certain tasks may prove transformative to computational biology, promising to make impossible problems difficult, and difficult problems routine.” · “There are potential benefits across the entire field, from the ability to process vast amounts of information and run machine learning algorithms far more efficiently, to algorithms for quantum simulation that are poised to improve computational calculations in drug discovery, to quantum algorithms for optimization that may advance fields from protein structure prediction to network analysis.”
- summary
- limitation
- citation Count
- 4
- study Design Assessment
- category
- review
- peer Reviewed
- true
- is Randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- basis
- The author institution identifies this as a peer-reviewed review of quantum computation. The imported citation linked to the military binaural-beat trial in error; the publisher DOI and university record resolve its identity.
- sources
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A9fcfe879-d852-4678-a21d-f9bc009d43be · https://doi.org/10.1002/wcms.1481
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- The author institution identifies this as a peer-reviewed review of quantum computation. The imported citation linked to the military binaural-beat trial in error; the publisher DOI and university record resolve its identity.
- sources
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A9fcfe879-d852-4678-a21d-f9bc009d43be · https://doi.org/10.1002/wcms.1481
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- citations By Collection
- general
- 4
- topics
- key
- general:sound-xxviii
- title
- Quantum computing methods for bioinformatics and gene-expression modelling
- collection
- general
- trust Score
- Not recorded
- journal Key
- journal Label
- WIREs Computational Molecular Science
- chapter Entries
- id
- general-sound-xxviii-src-9329423f6826
- record Id
- src-9329423f6826
- title
- The prospects of quantum computing in computational molecular biology
- journal
- WIREs Computational Molecular Science
- year
- 2021
- authors
- design
- Peer-reviewed review
- urls
https://doi.org/10.1002/wcms.1481 · https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A9fcfe879-d852-4678-a21d-f9bc009d43be
- quotes
- text
- “Quantum computers promise faster algorithms that can affect molecular biology and bioinformatics – for example, in data analysis, electronic structure simulations and protein modeling.”
- emphasis
- false
- text
- “The potential of even small quantum computers to outperform the best supercomputers on certain tasks may prove transformative to computational biology, promising to make impossible problems difficult, and difficult problems routine.”
- emphasis
- false
- text
- “There are potential benefits across the entire field, from the ability to process vast amounts of information and run machine learning algorithms far more efficiently, to algorithms for quantum simulation that are poised to improve computational calculations in drug discovery, to quantum algorithms for optimization that may advance fields from protein structure prediction to network analysis.”
- emphasis
- false
- citation Count
- 4
- source Pages
113
- targets
- None recorded
- categories
Methods & context
- doi
- 10.1002/wcms.1481
- pmid
- Not recorded
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-applicable
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- The author institution identifies this as a peer-reviewed review of quantum computation. The imported citation linked to the military binaural-beat trial in error; the publisher DOI and university record resolve its identity.
- sources
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A9fcfe879-d852-4678-a21d-f9bc009d43be · https://doi.org/10.1002/wcms.1481
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- study Design Assessment
- category
- review
- peer Reviewed
- true
- is Randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- basis
- The author institution identifies this as a peer-reviewed review of quantum computation. The imported citation linked to the military binaural-beat trial in error; the publisher DOI and university record resolve its identity.
- sources
https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A9fcfe879-d852-4678-a21d-f9bc009d43be · https://doi.org/10.1002/wcms.1481
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- publication Status
- Primary publication identity resolved
- kind
- Review / synthesis
- evidence
- trial Id
- Not recorded
- collection
- general
- chapter Number
- 7
- topic Id
- sound-xxviii
- topic Title
- Quantum computing methods for bioinformatics and gene-expression modelling
- trust Score
- Not recorded
- evidence
- trial Id
- Not recorded
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- condition Evidence
- None recorded
- conditions
- None recorded
- topic Trust Scores
- None recorded
- full Text
- status
- not-indexed
- retrieval Available
- false