- Selected for the first phase of the challenge with the topic “Quantum Algorithms for Clinical Risk Predictions and Diagnosis for Cardiovascular Disease”

- Application of quantum algorithms to the Navier–Stokes hydrodynamic equations for cardiovascular blood flow analysis

The University of Seoul announced that a research team led by Distinguished Professor Doyeol(David) Ahn of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering has been selected as a first-phase winner of the Quantum Computing Challenge organized by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The project was conducted in collaboration with Professor Jeong Jeong-Lim of the Department of Radiology and Professor Jong Chan Yoon of the Department of Cardiology at St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic University of Korea, as well as the U.S. quantum technology startup Singularity Quantum, and was supported by the National Quantum Laboratory (Q-Lab) at the University of Maryland and Amazon AWS.

* (Selected Topic) Quantum Algorithms for Clinical Risk Predictions and Diagnosis for Cardiovascular Disease

 - (Principal Investigator) Distinguished Professor Doyeol Ahn, University of Seoul

The challenge is organized by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a division of the NIH, and is a global technology competition aimed at developing innovative algorithms to address complex biomedical problems using quantum computing. Key topics include drug discovery, clinical risk prediction and diagnosis, biomedical image analysis, and genomic data analysis. The core objective is to use quantum algorithms to solve problems that are beyond the reach of conventional computing methods.

The research team’s proposal received high marks from the expert review panel for its originality and detailed implementation plan in the first phase, earning them a spot among the top-10 teams worldwide to advance to the next stage: Quantum Algorithm Development and Implementation on Quantum Hardware.

▶ Schematic diagram of an open quantum system used in a hydrodynamic simulation model for cardiovascular blood flow.

This comprehensive framework for open quantum systems enables the solution of CFD equations and the development of effective error mitigation and quantum gain strategies.

Professor Ahn developed a quantum algorithm to solve the Navier–Stokes equations, known as one of the seven great unsolved problems in mathematics, and established a theoretical framework for restoring quantum computer outputs using a non-Markovian cost function for Quantum Error Mitigation (QEM), which he designed. The quantum computing–based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model derived from this challenge is expected to lay the groundwork for expanding the practical applications of quantum computing in both cardiovascular disease diagnosis and the broader field of fluid dynamics.

The results of this research are expected to contribute to new technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including the diagnosis and prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as solutions to nonlinear fluid dynamics problems such as high-speed aerodynamics, heat exchanger optimization, and climate prediction.

▶ Professor Doyeol(David) Ahn

This study was supported by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) under the project Development of Quantum Computing Algorithms for Hypersonic Flow Analysis and by the Ministry of Science and ICT’s 32.5-billion-won project Development and Application of Low-Load, Highly Efficient Quantum Error Mitigation Technology in the NISQ Environment.

Distinguished Professor Doyeol(David) Ahn is internationally recognized for his research in semiconductor lasers and quantum information and communication. He was elected an IEEE Fellow in 2005 and a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2009 and received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois in 2016, an honorary award recognizing exceptional achievements and contributions among its graduates. To date, he has published more than 250 SCI papers and holds over 40 international patents.