Sergii Strelchuk to lead final phase of Wellcome Leap-funded quantum pangenomics project

Associate Professor Sergii Strelchuk will lead the final phase of a major international research collaboration funded by Wellcome Leap, focusing on the emerging field of quantum pangenomics.

A major international research collaboration led from Oxford is exploring how quantum computing could transform our ability to understand complex genetic information. The project, Quantum Pangenomics, has been selected for the final phase of the prestigious Wellcome Leap Q4Bio Challenge, a global initiative aimed at unlocking the potential of quantum technologies for biology and medicine.

The project is led by Associate Professor Sergii Strelchuk and brings together researchers from quantum computing, bioinformatics, and genomics to tackle one of the most computationally demanding problems in biology: understanding the full spectrum of human and pathogen genetic diversity. Traditional approaches rely on reference genomes that fail to capture the vast range of variation found across populations. By contrast, pangenomics aims to represent entire populations as graph-based structures that encode multiple versions of the genome - providing a richer, more inclusive view of genetic information.

But this approach comes at a computational cost. Analysing pangenomes at scale pushes the limits of classical computing. The Quantum Pangenomics team is investigating how quantum algorithms and hardware could offer new ways to store, search and interpret these large, complex genomic datasets. Their work could lead to faster and more powerful tools for understanding disease, improving personalised medicine, and detecting emerging pathogens.

The project was originally launched at the University of Cambridge and is now led from Oxford in its third and final phase. It is one of only six projects selected to continue from an initial international cohort of twelve. The research is funded by Wellcome Leap through its Q4Bio programme, which supports high-risk, high-reward projects at the intersection of quantum and life sciences. Partner institutions for the final phase include the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge and University of Melbourne.

This has been a fiercely competitive programme and the intensity of the challenge drives innovation at an incredible pace as we are hyper-focused on completing the work in the 12-month deadline. Being part of Q4Bio is pushing us to solve complex genomic problems faster and with greater ambition than ever before. Sergii Strelchuk

This ambitious initiative places Oxford at the heart of efforts to explore what quantum technologies can make possible in biology - not in the distant future, but within reach of the next major breakthroughs in computational genomics.

About Wellcome Leap

Wellcome Leap builds and executes bold, unconventional programs, funded at scale. Programs that aim to deliver breakthroughs in human health over 5 – 10 years. Founded by the Wellcome Trust in 2020 as a US nonprofit, Leap programs target complex human health challenges with the goal of achieving breakthrough scientific and technological solutions. Operating at the intersection of life sciences and engineering, Leap programs require best-in-class, multi-disciplinary, global teams assembled from universities, companies, and nonprofits working together to solve problems that they cannot solve alone.

For more information on Wellcome Leap, please visit www.wellcomeleap.org. For more information on the Quantum for Bio (Q4Bio) programme, please visit: https://wellcomeleap.org/q4bio/.