Quantum computing meets Alzheimer’s research as INmune Bio and QCi team up to explore new treatments

At the center of the collaboration is QCi’s Dirac-3S quantum optimization machine, a system built to tackle complex optimization problems.

INmune Bio brings years of preclinical research, data from four clinical trials, and experience studying the biological mechanisms behind XPro. QCi will apply its quantum optimization technology alongside AI and conventional data analysis to examine those findings and publicly available biomedical datasets.

The companies hope to identify relationships between diseases, patient populations, and biological markers that could show where XPro has the best chance of success.

XPro works by selectively blocking soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a protein involved in inflammation. Unlike treatments that broadly suppress TNF activity, XPro is intended to reduce harmful inflammation without interfering with other TNF functions that help protect the immune system.

That distinction matters in Alzheimer’s research, where brain inflammation has become an important area of investigation. Researchers are studying whether targeting specific inflammatory pathways could help address the biological processes associated with the disease.

INmune Bio is already advancing XPro through clinical development, including plans for a Phase 2b/3 trial targeting early Alzheimer’s patients with elevated neuroinflammation.

The company now wants to explore whether the same approach could benefit patients with rare diseases and other neurological conditions.

“We’ve built a large clinical dataset on Alzheimer’s and other diseases, backed by years of work with XPro,” said David Moss, Chief Executive Officer of INmune Bio. “This collaboration allows us to examine patient populations and biomarkers most likely to predict responses by analyzing large data sets. We’ll look for the diseases with the greatest potential for success, those whose human biology matches what we’ve already seen XPro do, starting with rare diseases where trials can be smaller, faster and more capital-efficient, and where qualifying pediatric approvals may earn a Priority Review Voucher.”

For a biotechnology company, identifying promising new indications early could help direct research spending toward programs with stronger scientific support.

Can quantum computing prove its value in drug discovery?

The partnership comes as quantum computing companies face growing pressure to demonstrate practical applications for their technology.

Drug discovery presents an attractive opportunity. Pharmaceutical researchers routinely work with enormous datasets containing genetic information, clinical observations, molecular interactions, and patient responses. Finding meaningful connections across those datasets can be computationally demanding.

QCi believes its quantum optimization approach could offer another way to analyze such information.

Its Dirac-3S machine uses entropy-based quantum optimization technology and operates at room temperature, avoiding the specialized cooling systems many other quantum computing approaches require.

Yet the companies aren’t assuming quantum computing will automatically outperform existing tools.

A central part of the project involves comparing results from QCi’s system against conventional statistical techniques and machine-learning methods. The objective is to determine where quantum optimization delivers measurable benefits and where traditional approaches remain more effective.

“This is a great example of what practical quantum computing can look like today,” said Yuping Huang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of QCi. “INmune Bio has a complex scientific problem and a substantial body of clinical and biological data. Our job is to bring new computing capabilities to that problem and see what we can learn. The potential to help researchers make better decisions about future treatments is exciting, and it opens an important new market for QCi.”

The initial agreement covers a first-stage engagement, with options for further collaboration as INmune Bio advances its research programs. The announcement did not disclose financial terms.

The companies have not reported results demonstrating a quantum advantage in this application, nor have they identified new clinically validated uses for XPro through the partnership. XPro remains investigational and has not received regulatory approval.

For now, the deal’s significance lies in what the companies intend to test.

If quantum optimization can help researchers identify promising drug applications or patient groups more effectively than existing methods, it could give pharmaceutical companies another tool for deciding which treatments deserve further investment.

For QCi, success would offer evidence that quantum computing can serve paying customers in biotechnology. For INmune Bio, it could help uncover new opportunities for a drug already years into development.

The bigger question is whether quantum computing can move beyond experimental demonstrations and deliver measurable improvements in real-world drug research. This collaboration offers one opportunity to find out.