Pusan National University Research Team Advances to TOP5 Finals of International Quantum AI Competition... First in Korea to Apply Drug Response Prediction

Pusan National University announced on November 12 that its research team has advanced to the TOP5 finals of the international quantum (quantum) AI competition, the "Quantum Innovation Challenge 2025," competing against leading research institutions from around the world.

This achievement marks the first case in Korea of applying quantum computing to actual drug response prediction, and is being recognized for significantly enhancing the potential for innovation in new drug development within the pharmaceutical and life sciences fields.

The joint research team, consisting of Professors Hwang Wonjoo and Song Giltae from the School of Computer Science and Engineering, and Professor Yoon Insu from the Department of Pharmacy at Pusan National University, reached the finals by being recognized for their creativity and applicability in the competition, which was part of the official program of EQTC 2025 (Europe's largest quantum conference) held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Other finalists included prestigious global research teams from UCLA (United States), RWTH Aachen (Germany), Imperial College (United Kingdom), and Vellore Institute of Technology (India).

The research team, "Team PNU," proposed a hybrid prediction model for optimizing Phase 1 clinical trial drug dosages. By combining a quantum computing-based neural network (QNN) with a classical neural network, the model accounts for nonlinear interactions between drug concentrations and physiological responses, as well as individual variability. This enables precise analysis of clinical-stage drug responses that were previously difficult to predict using conventional statistical models.

During their presentation at EQTC 2025, the team shared their implementation strategy for quantum computing-based drug response prediction and optimization algorithms, earning high praise from participants. In the upcoming final stage, the team will conduct real quantum circuit optimization experiments using the IBM Quantum environment and Denmark's Gefion AI supercomputer, which will determine the final rankings.

Song Giltae, Director of the Jang Youngsil Institute of Artificial Intelligence Convergence at Pusan National University, stated, "This achievement demonstrates our global competitiveness through convergent research that combines quantum mechanics, AI, and drug effect modeling. We plan to expand this research into precision medicine, such as optimizing patient-specific drug dosages."

The research was carried out by Professors Hwang Wonjoo, Song Giltae, and Yoon Insu, along with Jung Seongeun, Seol Sanghun, Kim Juseong (doctoral program), Kim Mingyeol, Le Tung Giang, Nguyen Doan Hieu, and Mai Dinh Cong (integrated master's and doctoral program), with support from the Pusan National University RISE Digital Tech UIC Project Group and the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP).

Pusan National University plans to use its advancement to the international finals as a springboard to accelerate international joint research based on quantum AI technology and to foster future research talent.

The research team from Pusan National University advanced to the finals TOP5 of the International Quantum AI Competition and is taking a commemorative photo.