A resource-efficient variational hybrid classical-quantum algorithm for genome sequence reconstruction

Reference-free DNA sequence construction is a well-known NP-hard problem that presents challenges in computational biology. Traditional methods often struggle with the complexity and computational cost on reconstructing entire genomes from smaller DNA or RNA fragments. Quantum computing offers a promising alternative for addressing this issue, leveraging quantum mechanics to outperform classical methods. This research introduces a novel quantum algorithm designed for reference-free DNA sequence construction. Through utilizing fewer qubits and quantum gates than existing methods, our algorithm enhances computational efficiency, making it feasible to conduct longer DNA sequence reconstructions on currently available quantum computers with limited resources. This algorithm is implemented on a gate-based quantum simulator, demonstrating its practical applicability. Despite the limitation of existing quantum computing technology, this work provides a compelling proof that quantum approaches can be effectively used for genome assembly tasks. The results indicate that our algorithm not only has fewer quantum resources but holds the promising of accelerating the reconstruction process. Our findings contribute valuable insights to the potential of quantum computing in solving complex biological problems and pave the way for future advancements in this field. Quantum approaches in biological research could evolve our understanding of genetic information, offering new avenues for innovation in medicine and biotechnology.