The State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom is introducing quantum computing to develop a new generation of radiopharmaceuticals. The press service of Rosatom Quantum Technologies, which develops and implements these technologies, told TASS that these technologies will make it possible to simulate the behavior of such drugs in the human body with unprecedented accuracy.
The press service noted that specialists from the A. I. Leypunskiy Institute of Physics and Power Engineering and the L. Ya. Karpov Research Institute of Physical Chemistry (an enterprise of the scientific division of Rosatom), together with leading scientists of the quantum project, have started the development of solutions based on advanced technologies using quantum algorithms.
The creation of a new generation of radiopharmaceuticals will be one of the key areas of the work. Additionally, scientists from the state corporation are exploring the potential of integrating quantum computing with machine learning to classify medical images (e.g., X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans) and other data, aiming to enable early and accurate detection of pathologies, including cancer.
In 2023, Kirill Komarov, First Deputy General Director of Rosatom, announced that the Rosatom radiopharmaceutical production facility in Obninsk (Kaluga Region) would begin operations in 2025. The commissioning of the facility will allow the state corporation to increase the number of manufactured drugs of this class from 11 to 25, he added.
Komarov clarified that the plan is to expand the range of radiopharmaceuticals in the coming years, including using the new plant’s capacities.
The plans for the construction of a plant at the site of the L. Ya. Karpov Research Institute of Physical Chemistry in Obninsk became known in early 2022. At that time, it was stated that the first batch of products would be released in 2024.
In March of this year, it was reported that Rosatom and the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Health initiated a large-scale study of the domestic radiopharmaceutical market. The Incident-12 project is aimed at creating a comprehensive map of manufacturers of such products and assessing production capacities to meet the needs of Russian healthcare.