Technology Quantum computing to help with cancer treatments


Te German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) will use the Ehningen-based quantum computer to develop cancer treatment methods specific to each patient. “We want to explore how we can


systematically process and use patients’ heterogeneous data with a quantum computer, so that we can identify new and more targeted options for patients who do not respond well to immunotherapies. Ultimately, we are asking which patient can benefit from which treatment and how,” says Dr. Niels Halama, Head of the Department of Translational Immunotherapy at DKFZ. “Linked to this topic are some applied research questions: Which signalling cascades and biological processes play a role in the disease? How can we use these to select a treatment on an individual basis? What kinds of problems actually lend themselves to being solved by quantum computers?” Cancer patients’ medical records can


comprise up to 100 terabytes of data, consisting of personal indicators, sequencing and treatment data, plus a lot more. Until now, it has been virtually impossible to efficiently use this wealth of information due to a lack of appropriate processing mechanisms. As a result, the possibility of using promising personalised treatment approaches remains purely theoretical for many cancers, and patients are still receiving standard treatments. Te DKFZ team has already worked out the


mathematical principles and carried out some initial work using globally-available systems and simulators. According to Halama, however, there is a huge difference between working on a simulator with perfect qubits and working on a real quantum computer such as the IBM Q System One in Ehningen. “It is only with the latter that it can be determined how stable things are at a certain level of complexity, and where the pitfalls and the possibilities are,” added Halama.


Quantum computing will be harnessed to help individual patients


Te researchers hope the Ehningen


machine will help develop algorithms suitable for processing all this information, and also to optimise certain methods, such as error corrections, for example. DKFZ is now looking for partners from


different research and industry sectors to cooperate in an interdisciplinary investigation of the possibilities of quantum computing in cancer treatment.


UWB technology helps Samsung users find misplaced belongings


NXP Semiconductors has combined the ultra-wide-band (UWB) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technologies to deliver spatial awareness to the Samsung Galaxy S21+ and S21 Ultra smartphones for the SmartThings Find service. NXP’s Trimension UWB platform helps accurately locate personal items such as backpacks, wallets and keys. With the Galaxy SmartTag+ using NXP’s Trimension UWB and BLE, users can apply augmented reality (AR) technology to visually guide them toward their missing item using their smartphone’s camera.


NXP UWB IC, Trimension SR040 is


optimised to enable IoT applications, including smart locks and real-time location system (RTLS) tags, delivering ‘relative position’ with a very high level of accuracy. NXP’s QN9090 Bluetooth LE


microcontrollers provide a wireless interface for the sideband communication, configuration and activation used by the location service.


Galaxy SmartTag applications “NXP’s Trimension technology helps


deliver precision when it counts and enables new and future possibilities. Precision, combined with security, is the foundation for a host of new applications,” said Rafael Sotomayor, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Connectivity and Security for NXP Semiconductors. SmartTings Find is a new service


within the SmartTings application, available on some Galaxy devices, with powerful detection capabilities. “Using AR in conjunction with maps


and sounds guides users back to each device with a Galaxy SmartTag+ attached,” said Inkang Song, Vice President & Head of Technology Strategy Group, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “Te key to our innovative offering on


SmartTag+ is NXP’s UWB fine-ranging technology, which makes it possible to lock onto the position of an object with greater precision,” he added.


www.electronicsworld.co.uk September 2021 05


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