Cambridge spinout uses AI and quantum computing to explore new treatments for heart disease

A biotechnology company spun out of the University of Cambridge is using artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced biological data analysis to identify potential new treatments for cardiovascular diseases, including less common forms of heart disease.

CardiaTec, co-founded by University of Cambridge researcher Namshik Han, is developing a drug-discovery platform that combines AI with multi-omics, an approach that analyses multiple types of biological data to understand how diseases develop and progress.

Han, who is the company's co-founder and chief technology officer, said the company's ambition is to improve understanding of the complex biological mechanisms underlying cardiovascular diseases and use that knowledge to identify potential therapeutic targets.

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death globally. Han said limited understanding of their underlying biology has slowed the development of treatments and made investment in some areas difficult.

AI and multi-omics to identify potential drug targets

CardiaTec uses AI and computer modelling to analyse biological data and investigate the mechanisms associated with disease progression. Multi-omics allows researchers to study several layers of biological information together rather than examining individual processes in isolation.

Han said the company had raised a total of US$9 million through pre-seed and seed funding rounds and had established partnerships with two global pharmaceutical companies. Its platform is now industry-ready, according to the researcher.

The company has also reported encouraging initial results from preclinical studies. Han said these results had led it to begin fundraising earlier than originally planned.

However, the work remains at the drug-discovery and preclinical research stage. The company has not announced an approved treatment for heart disease.

Quantum computing enters the drug-discovery effort

Han is also exploring how quantum computing could improve AI-driven drug discovery. He holds academic appointments at the University of Cambridge and South Korea's Yonsei University, where he is a professor in the Department of Quantum Information.

His research group is developing quantum AI methods and investigating their potential applications across different disease areas. The work aims to establish whether quantum computing can offer advantages over conventional computing approaches for complex drug-discovery tasks.

Han said his longer-term ambition is to develop validated quantum AI platforms that could support drug discovery as more advanced quantum hardware becomes available.

His group is also exploring collaborations involving technology companies such as IBM, IonQ and Nvidia. Cambridge has separately entered into an agreement with IonQ to bring advanced quantum computing capabilities to the university.

Han said his immediate priority was to make progress towards clinical trials through the company's research and collaborations, with the broader aim of translating the technology into meaningful benefits for patients.

The work reflects a growing effort to bring together computing, biological research and pharmaceutical development to address diseases whose complexity has made treatment discovery challenging.