Join Dr Lara Jehi, Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Research Information Officer, as she delves into the pioneering collaboration with IBM, harnessing quantum computing and AI to revolutionise research and expedite medical breakthroughs.
Could you please describe your role as Chief Research Information Officer at Cleveland Clinic and how it aligns with the goals of the Discovery Accelerator partnership with IBM?
As Cleveland Clinic’s inaugural Chief Research Information Officer, I oversee a robust research informatics environment to advance biomedical research throughout Cleveland Clinic.
In this role, I work closely with information technology, research, finance and other key departments to optimise the enterprise’s digital infrastructure to support research activities and accelerate new treatments for patients.
It is well recognised that the current pace of scientific discovery is unacceptably slow, while research needs are growing exponentially by the day. Published research, patient-related data, and our knowledge of the biological mechanisms behind diseases are expanding rapidly. Quantum computing and other advanced computing technologies offer a future to transform this pace.
We needed to expand our capacity for data sciences research to accelerate science and healthcare advances, which led us to seek a technology partner. In 2021, we established a partnership with IBM – Discovery Accelerator – to leverage advanced computational technology to expedite critical research into treatments and vaccines.
The joint centre brings together Cleveland Clinic’s research and clinical expertise and IBM’s global leadership in next-generation technologies. The synergy and collective knowledge of our teams will help achieve transformative advances, using advanced computing technologies to revolutionise discovery in the life sciences.
What specific aspects of the collaboration with IBM, such as the installation of a quantum computer at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus, do you believe holds the most potential for revolutionary advancements in healthcare and research?
The installation of IBM Quantum System One on Cleveland Clinic’s main campus last spring was a key milestone in our partnership. It is the first onsite private sector IBM-managed quantum computer in the US and the first in healthcare.
Quantum is a rapidly emerging technology that harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that today’s most powerful supercomputers cannot practically solve.
The ability to tap into these new computational spaces could help researchers break through traditional scientific bottlenecks and identify new medicines and treatments more quickly. It can help us shrink the amount of time to find solutions — from weeks to days; from years to months.
Cleveland Clinic and IBM researchers have already begun to take advantage of the research and educational opportunities provided by the IBM Quantum System One. Together, we are currently executing seven quantum projects, while another three quantum projects are in the development phase. Examples include improving prediction of cardiovascular risk, enhancing molecular simulation and drug discovery.
Could you highlight what you consider to be the most exciting outcome or discovery thus far from the Discovery Accelerator partnership?
See above about the opening of IBM Quantum System One. Overall, we have more than 50 joint research projects with IBM using AI, hybrid cloud, quantum and other high-performance computing technologies. The projects span drug discovery, predictive modelling and imaging, aiming to shrink the time to develop new therapies.
Additionally, we launched the new Cleveland Clinic Quantum Innovation Catalyzer Program, a competitive programme for start-ups to explore quantum computing applications in healthcare and life sciences.
Up to four early- and growth-stage life sciences and healthcare technology companies will be selected this spring by Cleveland Clinic through a competitive application process. Awarded start-ups will receive a 24-week immersive experience and have access to the IBM Quantum System One at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus.
We look forward to welcoming the first class of start-ups to our new Cleveland Clinic Quantum Innovation Catalyzer Program and helping them leverage quantum to make breakthroughs in healthcare as we grow an ecosystem of advanced computation for healthcare and life sciences.
This spring, we will offer new opportunities to collaborate and learn from our world-renowned researchers. Through our new membership programme, we will provide customised education and in-depth looks at our current research projects.
What are the main challenges you’ve faced in the Discovery Accelerator journey, and how have you addressed them to keep the research advancing?
Building the skilled workforce needed for the future is paramount to keep research advancing. A pillar of the Discovery Accelerator’s mission is education — providing training to develop the healthcare research and technology workforce of the future and creating jobs to grow the economy.
To that end, we have designed an innovative educational curriculum from high school to professional level, offering training and certification programmes in data science, Machine Learning and quantum computing.
This past summer, Cleveland Clinic hosted nine paid summer interns to work alongside researchers in labs utilising quantum and high-performance computing methods. We also held workshops for quantum education with The Coding School (Qubit x Qubit) for 40 Cleveland Metropolitan School District students and 40 regional high school and college educators.
In addition, we have recently launched partnerships with several local universities – Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University and Kent State. The goal of these partnerships is to prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals by increasing access to quantum computing, collaborating on research projects and co-writing grants.
We are also holding research symposia and workshops intended for academia, industry, government and the public.
Regarding the recent publication on Artificial Intelligence and immunity, could you discuss the significance of the findings in identifying new targets for immunotherapy and how this aligns with the goals of the Discovery Accelerator partnership?
Researchers from Cleveland Clinic and IBM together published a strategy for identifying new targets for immunotherapy through Artificial Intelligence (AI). This is the first peer-reviewed publication from our Discovery Accelerator partnership, designed to advance research in healthcare and life sciences.
The team worked together to develop supervised and unsupervised AI to reveal the molecular characteristics of peptide antigens, small pieces of protein molecules immune cells use to recognise threats. Project members came from diverse groups led by Cleveland Clinic’s Timothy Chan, M.D., PhD, as well as IBM’s Jeff Weber, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, and Wendy Cornell, PhD, Manager and Strategy Lead for Healthcare and Life Sciences Accelerated Discovery.
Published in Briefings in Bioinformatics, the study found that AI models that account for changes in molecular shape over time can accurately depict how immune systems recognise a target antigen. Through these models, researchers could hone in on what processes are critical to target with immunotherapy treatments such as vaccines and engineered immune cells.
Researchers can incorporate these insights into other AI models moving forward to identify more effective immunotherapy targets.
This research is a great example of what makes this partnership successful – combining IBM’s cutting-edge computational resources with Cleveland Clinic’s biomedical research expertise to make new discoveries and advance medicine.
Could you discuss the significance of collaboration between medical institutions and technology companies in merging medicine with cutting-edge technology to drive forward advancements in healthcare and life sciences research?
The collaboration between medical institutions and technology companies is of immense significance in merging medicine with cutting-edge technology to drive forward advancements in healthcare and life sciences research. By combining the expertise of medical professionals with the technological prowess of companies, the collaboration can lead to the development of innovative solutions that can revolutionise the healthcare industry.
Partnerships such as Cleveland Clinic’s with IBM leverage our complementary strengths to work towards making significant strides to transform healthcare and bring much-needed new treatments to patients.
Looking beyond the current initiatives, how do you envision the future of computing technology shaping clinical research and healthcare innovation?
Healthcare and technology are advancing at a breakneck pace. As we continue to accelerate the fields, we will use emerging technologies to continue to innovate. This holds promise for faster medicines, cures and vaccines.