AI news ·
Cleveland Clinic and IBM forum highlights progress in AI and quantum computing for healthcare research
A protein of 12,000 atoms was modeled on a quantum computer, the largest such simulation. The forum also announced $200,000 for a global challenge and $250,000 startup grants.
The third annual Cleveland Discovery and Innovation Forum, held June 15, 2026 by Cleveland Clinic and IBM, detailed how quantum computing and AI are accelerating biomedical research and opening new avenues for disease prevention, early detection, and treatment. More than 30 speakers from academia, industry, and government shared findings that underscore a five-year partnership focused on high-performance computing in life sciences.
Lara Jehi, M.D., Cleveland Clinic's Chief Research Information Officer, said, "The forum highlighted how AI and quantum computing are advancing research across every stage of disease - from prevention and early detection to treatment." She added that Cleveland Clinic is at the forefront of applying quantum computing to life sciences research.
These efforts come as medical institutions worldwide invest more deeply in AI for Healthcare to aid in diagnosis and treatment planning. The forum also underscored five years of progress by the Cleveland Clinic and IBM Discovery Accelerator, a collaboration that uses high-performance computing, AI, and quantum computing to speed up biomedical research.
Five-year accelerator produces tangible research output
Alessandro Curioni, Ph.D., IBM Fellow and Vice President at IBM Research, said, "As we mark five years of our collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, we are seeing how quantum and AI can work together to transform biomedical research - modeling molecular interactions, refining machine learning for personalized care, and pushing the boundaries of what's achievable across healthcare and life sciences." The partnership has supported 50 projects, contributed to peer-reviewed publications, and built an education curriculum to train a quantum-ready workforce.
The forum included a presentation of recent work modeling a protein of more than 12,000 atoms, the largest protein structure known to be simulated on a quantum computer. The ability to simulate large protein structures on quantum computers signals the growing capacity of AI for Science & Research to speed up drug discovery.
New competition and startup funding announced
Leaders unveiled the 2026 Global Quantum + AI Challenge, an international competition run by the Quantum Insider and Cleveland Clinic. The year-long program will award $200,000 across five enterprise challenges. Cleveland Clinic's own challenge, titled "Unlocking Undruggable Targets: Quantum Simulation of Allosteric Signal Propagation," will distribute $40,000 to winning teams. Applications are now open at quantumaiportal.thequantuminsider.com.
Updates on the Cleveland Clinic Quantum Catalyzer Program included the selection of EntangleBio, Polaris Quantum Biotech, and Singularity Quantum, which each receive up to $250,000 from K5 Tokyo Black Fund with an in-kind match from Cleveland Clinic. A new project, Kipu, will develop a quantum algorithm to simulate protein folding, helping researchers better understand disease.
Why this matters for healthcare
For healthcare professionals, the forum's announcements signal that quantum computing is moving beyond theoretical promise into practical tools for drug discovery and precision medicine. The integration of AI-driven quantum simulations with clinical research pipelines could accelerate the identification of new drug targets for diseases with no current treatments. Health systems looking to stay ahead should monitor how these computational methods evolve and prepare for their impact on diagnostics and therapeutic development.