Health, "Quantum Metabolic Avatar": the digital twin of metabolism arrives

For the first time, a human metabolic avatar has been created using quantum algorithms to study all the possible biochemical and metabolic reactions within our bodies. This allows for the development of personalized avatars for patients with various diseases, from diabetes to obesity, on which to test therapies to choose the best one. Essentially, we are looking at a "digital twin" that learns, adapts, and simulates how our bodies function when we eat, move, or change our lifestyle. Dubbed the "Quantum Metabolic Avatar," it was developed by the team of Professor Giuseppe Maulucci , Associate Professor of Physics for Life Sciences, Environment, and Cultural Heritage and Director of the Metabolic Intelligence Laboratory at the Department of Neuroscience at the Catholic University of Rome. This is the result of a study published in Expert Systems with Applications, in collaboration with colleagues from the UOC Physics for Life Sciences of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, directed by Professor Marco De Spirito , Full Professor of Physics for Life Sciences, Environment, and Cultural Heritage at the Catholic University, who explains: "Quantum computing currently has very few practical applications in the real world, and even fewer in the field of medicine. This project represents one of the first concrete examples of the use of quantum computing on real physiological data, with potential direct implications for people's health. It is a milestone that marks not only a scientific advancement, but also a step towards personalized, predictive, and intelligent medicine." The group includes young researchers from the Catholic University and the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS Cassandra Serantoni, Michele Maria De Giulio, Alessia Riente , and industrial partners engaged in the development of technologies for digital health ( Stefano Capezzone, Rosita Esposito, Fastal SrL and Chirale SrL).

The Quantum Metabolic Avatar is an intelligent model, powered by real data from real people, but what makes it special is that it is not based on classical artificial intelligence, explains Maulucci. We've made it run on the tracks of quantum mechanics, using quantum computers, now available through cloud connections. Imagine having a "super-brain" that doesn't think linearly, but can explore many scenarios simultaneously, as if it were looking at all the possible paths that metabolism could take in a single glance," he adds. "In our metabolic avatar, we enter daily information: a person's diet, how much they move, how their weight changes. And the system tries to predict where their body is going a week in advance. It's like a metabolic navigator: instead of telling you the route by car, it tells you where your metabolism will go if you continue on that road. And the beauty is that this system can learn even from small amounts of data, even if the data is "dirty," incomplete, and irregular, just like in real life. While classical algorithms need abundant and organized data to deliver good results (like a train on perfect tracks), quantum algorithms behave more like an off-road vehicle, capable of advancing even on rough terrain." difficult, and see alternative routes."

If a classical algorithm is like a train running on a single track, exploring only one possible solution at a time, a quantum algorithm is like a magic train capable of simultaneously traveling on all tracks, exploring all possible solutions to a problem in parallel. This is possible thanks to two extraordinary properties of quantum physics: superposition and entanglement, the professor explains. A qubit, the basic unit of information in a quantum computer (the quantum equivalent of a bit), is not simply on or off, 0 or 1, as in traditional computers. A qubit can be in a combination of both states at the same time: this is superposition. It's as if in a quiz you could choose all the answers simultaneously, waiting for reality or measurement to reveal the right one. And then, when multiple qubits are deeply interconnected, even if you physically separate them, their behavior remains linked. It's as if two musical instruments, even in different rooms, played in perfect harmony without needing to communicate: if one changes note, the other instantly follows suit. This phenomenon, called entanglement, allows quantum algorithms to capture complex relationships between data that classical models can't even imagine. In their work, the experts started with real physiological data: for example, the foods a person ate, their energy expenditure, how their weight has changed over the last seven days. This data is transformed into a "quantum form" : encoded in different probabilities within a quantum state. This information is then "metabolized" by quantum computers, and the result is a "quantum vector," "that is, a set of probabilities that tell us which direction that person's metabolism is moving. For example, it can tell us how much they'll weigh in a week, or whether they're in a phase where their body tends to store or burn energy, or whether their lean body mass will increase, or whether their microbiota will change," they explain. "It's an intelligent prediction, built on a temporal dynamic that doesn't simply repeat the past, but interprets it to generate possible futures, all evaluated in parallel. In practice, it allows us to see multiple paths at the same time, and choose the one that works best to represent each person 's biological reality ."

The ambition is for each person to have their own personal metabolic avatar , a model that represents them in a dynamic, unique way. This digital twin could help us answer complex questions like 'Why does this person gain weight easily even though they eat little? Why is someone else struggling to lose weight despite dieting? Which drug would be best suited to their metabolism? Which diet could protect them from future diseases?' "In this sense, our avatar becomes an ally of precision medicine. No longer standard treatments, but tailor-made strategies, like a tailored suit tailored to each individual's body and biology. We could also use these models to digitally test the effects of new drugs or supplements in silico, before they are even administered to a patient. Not to replace clinical trials, but to make them faster, more targeted, and safer." "We've already tested our avatar on real data, collected from people monitored daily with smart scales, wearable devices, and apps. In almost every case, the quantum model outperformed the classical model in accuracy, especially when the data was sparse or noisy. This is a very strong signal: these systems could really work in real clinical environments, where data is never perfect," explains Maulucci. The next steps are exciting. "We want to extend the avatar to other metabolic processes, such as the behavior of glucose, lipids, or the gut microbiota. Furthermore, we want to build a generalized version that can also work on new people, even if we don't have detailed historical data. The goal is to make it ready for practical use, as a support tool for clinicians and patients," he adds. The Quantum Metabolic Avatar is one of the first examples of quantum computing being used on real, physiological data related to the daily health of ordinary people. Compared to classical artificial intelligence, which is already in hospital wards today, quantum artificial intelligence still needs time to become widespread. But that time has begun now, and it's not a distant future: it's already underway.