Samarth Sandeep: Quantum Computing for Drug Discovery: Native Plants, Protein Interactions & Biotech AI with Samarth Sandeep, CEO of If and Only If Technologies
Entangled Health with Thomas Ehmer is a long-form podcast and research-media project exploring quantum biology, quantum computing, AI, biotechnology, consciousness research, and the future of medicine.
We distinguish established evidence, emerging research, and frontier hypotheses.
Samarth Sandeep, CEO of If and Only If Technologies, is applying quantum hybrid AI and QAOA-based protein interaction modeling to drug discovery problems that classical simulation still can't solve with sufficient accuracy. His work sits at the exact junction where quantum chemistry meets wet-lab biology — and where the gap between a simulation result and a meaningful clinical outcome is still enormous. He's also quietly restoring native plant gardens, which turns out to be more connected to his quantum worldview than it first sounds.
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Guest: Samarth Sandeep
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samarth-sandeep-81a02487/
Company: https://iff.bio
California Native Garden Foundation: https://cngf.org
Samarth's journey: from seawater-powered cars to QAOA protein pruning, with a detour through rare hematological malignancies. The native plant restoration work — microplastics, soil microbiome, environmental entanglement — turns out to be the same problem as drug discovery at a different scale.
Papers mentioned:
Aramyan et al. (2022) — SP-A binding to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein via QAOA-based MaxCut, Frontiers in Immunology 13:945317
Montanez-Barrera et al. (2025) — Evaluating QPU performance, arXiv:2502.06471
Yan, Samarth et al. (2022) — Proteomic framework for rare hematological malignancies, American Journal of Hematology
Timestamps:
0:00 Cold open: The garden that changed everything
2:00 Host welcome & episode preview
5:00 Samarth's journey: From seawater cars to quantum biotech
12:00 Native plants & microplastics: The environmental connection
22:00 Quantum algorithms for protein interactions
35:00 Quantum vs. LLMs: The biotech industry paradox
48:00 QAOA protein pruning explained
58:00 Quantum-selected listener question
1:04:00 Future of quantum in drug discovery
1:08:00 Closing thoughts
Host on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tehmer/
Disclaimer: All conversations at Entangled Health are a co-creation between host and guest in their personal capacities. Nothing here is an official statement from any employer or organization, nor medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your own health.
We distinguish established evidence, emerging research, and frontier hypotheses.
Samarth Sandeep, CEO of If and Only If Technologies, is applying quantum hybrid AI and QAOA-based protein interaction modeling to drug discovery problems that classical simulation still can't solve with sufficient accuracy. His work sits at the exact junction where quantum chemistry meets wet-lab biology — and where the gap between a simulation result and a meaningful clinical outcome is still enormous. He's also quietly restoring native plant gardens, which turns out to be more connected to his quantum worldview than it first sounds.
---
Guest: Samarth Sandeep
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samarth-sandeep-81a02487/
Company: https://iff.bio
California Native Garden Foundation: https://cngf.org
Samarth's journey: from seawater-powered cars to QAOA protein pruning, with a detour through rare hematological malignancies. The native plant restoration work — microplastics, soil microbiome, environmental entanglement — turns out to be the same problem as drug discovery at a different scale.
Papers mentioned:
Aramyan et al. (2022) — SP-A binding to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein via QAOA-based MaxCut, Frontiers in Immunology 13:945317
Montanez-Barrera et al. (2025) — Evaluating QPU performance, arXiv:2502.06471
Yan, Samarth et al. (2022) — Proteomic framework for rare hematological malignancies, American Journal of Hematology
Timestamps:
0:00 Cold open: The garden that changed everything
2:00 Host welcome & episode preview
5:00 Samarth's journey: From seawater cars to quantum biotech
12:00 Native plants & microplastics: The environmental connection
22:00 Quantum algorithms for protein interactions
35:00 Quantum vs. LLMs: The biotech industry paradox
48:00 QAOA protein pruning explained
58:00 Quantum-selected listener question
1:04:00 Future of quantum in drug discovery
1:08:00 Closing thoughts
Host on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tehmer/
Disclaimer: All conversations at Entangled Health are a co-creation between host and guest in their personal capacities. Nothing here is an official statement from any employer or organization, nor medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding your own health.
Creators and Guests
