QIS and Quantum Sensing in Biology Interest Group

Join us for our monthly seminar series on Quantum Technologies (i.e. Quantum Sensing, Quantum Biology and Quantum Computing). Please see Upcoming Events below.

For updates, please join the Quantum SIG mailing list: QuantumSIG@LIST.NIH.GOV(external link). Click “Subscribe or Unsubscribe” on the right

About the QIS and Quantum Sensing in Biology Interest Group

Studies in Quantum Information Sciences (QIS) and quantum sensing in biology (QSB) are rapidly advancing for biomedical applications. Many cellular and sub-cellular phenomena such as photosynthesis, neuro-transmission and cognition, enzyme tunneling, mitochondrial electron transfer have been shown to involve quantum physicochemical components. With advances in AI/ML and quantum computer designs, applications in biomedical sciences such as sensing weak electromagnetic signals in neurons and tissues, in-vivo imaging, biomolecular modelling, data encryption, privacy and storage have become fruitful areas of exploration. These developments will impact the understanding of complex disease biology and enable new modalities for drug and biomarker discovery in the next decade.

The QIS and Quantum Sensing in Biology Interest Group was initiated by NCATS within the NIH-wide QIS Working Group. Since quantum science is evolving at the cutting-edge of both computer science, materials technology and biology, activities of this SIG will be of wider interest to data/information scientists, bioengineers, chemists, biologists, physicists, and clinicians at NIH.

Please visit NIH Quantum Biomedical Innovations and Technologies (Qu-BIT) Program website at https://ncats.nih.gov/research/research-activities/quantum.

Partners

Join us and our international partners for remote "Big Quantum Biology Meetings" organized by Leverhulme Quantum Biology Doctoral College Training Centre (QB-DTC) and the Quantum Biology Tech (QuBiT) Lab at UCLA. Seminars are held via Zoom every Thursday from 3pm - 4pm UK time (7am PT / 10am ET / 11am BRT / 4pm SAST, CEST / 11pm JST). Sign up for reminders at https://groups.google.com/g/bigquantumbiologymeetings.
The Guy Foundation hosts online lectures on the role of quantum mechanics and thermodynamics in biology with the ultimate goal that this understanding can be used to advance healthcare. Attendance at The Guy Foundation live seminars is by invitation. If you are keen to attend, please email Betony Adams to register your interest: b.adams@theguyfoundation.org. The sessions are also recorded and available to watch on their website at https://www.theguyfoundation.org/our-conferences-and-meetings or on their YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/@theguyfoundation. For more information about the Foundation, visit https://www.theguyfoundation.org.

Goals

A major goal is to identify biomedical problems that may be amenable for quantum information/sensing applications for the measurement of highly sensitive and specific biological and cellular signals in normal and diseased states. In addition, we hope to illuminate use cases that can be optimized and developed further for wider adoption by the community through enabling development of easily accessible bench-top instrument and portable devices and wearables. These goals will be accomplished through invited seminars, workshops from national and international experts in QIS/QSB, identifying opportunities for learning, training and workforce development for fellows and trainees in collaboration with academia, industry, and government agencies.

Principal Contacts

Geetha Senthil, PhD, Deputy Director, Office of Special Initiatives, NCATS, geetha.senthil2@nih.gov
Paige Derr, PhD, Scientist, Division of Preclinical Innovation, NCATS, paige.derr@nih.gov
G. Sitta Sittampalam, PhD, Senior Advisor to the Director, NCATS, gurusingham.sittampalam@nih.gov

To join the Quantum SIG mailing list, please visit the Listserv home page QuantumSIG@LIST.NIH.GOV click the “Subscribe or Unsubscribe” link in the right sidebar.

Upcoming Events

February 24, 2025 - 12:00-1:00 pm EST Join Zoom
Investigating Quantum Effects in the Brain: Bridging Theory and Experimental Evidence
Travis Craddock, University of Waterloo

Quantum biology, the interdisciplinary study of how principles like superposition, tunneling, and entanglement influence biological processes, is transitioning from theoretical foundations to experimental validation. Evidence continues to emerge that quantum effects can play a role in biology from quantum superposition enhancing energy transfer in photosynthesis to tunneling affecting enzymatic reactions and DNA mutations, and spin entanglement playing a role in migratory birds' navigation. These discoveries have profound implications for medicine, renewable energy, and our understanding of life’s complexity. However, as quantum perspectives challenge conventional biochemical explanations and face experimental limitations in the dynamic biological environment, they remain highly debated. Nowhere is this debate more intense than in the study of quantum mechanisms in the brain. Moving beyond classical models of chemical and electrical neuronal signaling, quantum approaches could revolutionize diagnostics and treatments for neurological disorders while offering deeper insights into cognition, behavior, and consciousness. Various theories propose that quantum processes—such as spin-based and optical mechanisms—may contribute to brain function, yet without experimental validation, they remain speculative. Here we will examine current theoretical quantum mechanisms—such as spin-based and optical models—and assess them in the context of existing experimental evidence. While some experimental findings suggest quantum effects may play a role in the brain, significant challenges remain in understanding how these mechanisms operate at biologically relevant scales. Addressing these challenges will be crucial for determining whether quantum processes are fundamental to brain function or simply intriguing theoretical possibilities.

Bio: Travis J.A. Craddock, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Biology and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair In Quantum Neurobiology at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Dr. Craddock received his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Alberta, Canada. His graduate research focused on sub-neural biomolecular information processing and nanoscale neuroscience descriptions of memory, consciousness, and cognitive dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders. He completed postdoctoral studies in the University of Alberta Department of Medicine before accepting a faculty position in the Department of Neuroscience at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. There, he served as Director of Computational Systems Biology at the Institute of Neuro-Immune Medicine, where he oversaw a team that applied computational systems biology and biophysics methods to develop innovative algorithms and techniques to identify novel treatment strategies for complex neuroinflammatory illnesses. His current research activities are focused on applying theoretical and experimental biophysics and quantum biology methods to identify novel treatments and diagnostics for diseases involving neuroinflammation."

March 31, 2025 - 12:00-1:00 pm EST
Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, The Ohio State University

Past Events

January 13, 2025
Decoding and Programming Cellular States Using Biophysical Signals
Nirosha Murugan, Wilfred Laurier University

December 16, 2024
"Expanding the Horizon: Enabling Hybrid Quantum Transfer Learning for Long-Tailed Chest X-Ray Classification”
Skylar Chan, Imaging Biomarkers and Computer-Aided Diagnosis Laboratory, NIH Clinical Center
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/F_2WVbQLihRMX6P-vI2bi0pguGcQ1ea5xBcvWkzYCn2saH0YV7b_yfjD-s9z6rFv.GPjguJ24y6hMrM_0 (Passcode: =?QyV2fT

October 28, 2024
“Next-generation fluorescent nanodiamond for biological quantum sensing”
Marco Torelli, Ph.D. , Adamas Nanotechnologies, Inc., Raleigh, NC.
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/zxsr3HwaobtMvVTKxi9ztS_GMPb-iudxDBrP4Ark1in3OlsOF9p20cf6QboohZbY.xBftZ6mEyAeX1Enw (Passcode: 2Xc=%$3m)

September 30, 2024
"Developing an OPM Magnetocorticography System"
Allison Nugent, NIMH Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Core Facility
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/ufL6B4kzVXqvfjnx2aKH2lOFzUhYgl415bFnSb5PiAPRoG5OLDAEGrpvxHGS2LmK.cSC6jXr1Uft01V-g (Passcode: ^SCQ3714)

August 26, 2024
"Using Quantum-Limited Sensors to Listen to Biological Systems"
Matthew Eichenfield, University of Arizona

July 29, 2024
"Case studies on physical complexity in quantum states: from quantum phase transitions to quantum cellular automata – with a segue on quantum bio-sensing and engineering"
Lincoln Carr, Colorado School of Mines
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/CFj-qCUSDI7yK5UaaVWUDQzUZvsGlWTlI_RFBK_plGp3Sp359Pto4TUwoLzlOL1s.uajCu4sMZtWzcc22 (Passcode: q*2XN.T@)

June 24, 2024
"Quantum Biology in Chromoproteins and its Implications for Quantum Sensing”
Youngchan Kim, University of Surrey

May 20, 2024
"NV-Diamond Magnetic Sensing and Imaging for Biomedical Applications"
Connor Hart, CTO, Quantum Catalyzer, LLC and Stephen DeVience, Founder, Scalar Magnetics, LLC and Principal Quantum Scientist, Quantum Catalyzer, LLC
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/CCWwOH9BzCJvAVG9LsieCq5C_ZaQR1bXPHCWVSFyPmA7Yu1XMeGILVt-w7U1zXaE.CsJSFPysIuU2KfXb (Passcode: hh57P.0i)

April 29, 2024
"Controlling Cell Behaviors and Cell Fate with Engineered Magnetosensitive Proteins"
Yun Chen, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

March 25, 2024
"In the world and at QuantumBasel: the state of quantum computing applications in health and medicine"
Dr. Frederik F. Flöther, QuantumBasel
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/w7J9qZAFBcwHc81WLRrso95gXcZnps8pCxVewnsTYrX9UjsuR1TgJJobyDRP4Y-R.Oab1bMhkBuL913O9 (Passcode: s=e@0H2b)

February 26, 2024
"Exploring Quantum Sensors of Living Systems: From NMR to NV Centers and Beyond"
Albert Siryaporn and Luis Jauregui, University of California Irvine
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/0hAMAqhueJ2P5pDF9PesP2-uuYogU6s0gELjPtjVb_WgH7FcZPhOmizj1RpJRIWZ.saVee4LGVyEqCpji (Passcode: =XU1xvQr)

January 22, 2024
"What applications are the Swedes working on in the Swedish Quantum Life Science Centre?"
Ebba Carbonnier, Swedish Quantum Life Science Centre, Karolinska Institutet; Göran Johansson, Wallenberg Center for Quantum Technology (WACQT), and Daniel Lundqvist, Karolinska Institutet
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/2WLz3NYcIDQOea47yte6lRwfkqA4q09ZvlMDu7uKxmCaUx64Cgn1kS-Z_UXfLCYE.pt-Mk9x-7xu5myXx (Passcode: D56n^.ck)

December 11, 2023
"Investigating Stem Cells as Quantum Sensors"
Wendy Beane, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/gpfT85w3zKE-RUbPhNhtWmNfMUkw8dSIf6NPK-63EM7vZAaENNzUMnwSyvuMeZgf.otrSSr32i0RbWdsK (Passcode: DWDb9Uj?)

October 30, 2023
"The ‘Quantum Underground’ – How and Where Life Defeats Decoherence"
Stuart Hameroff M.D., Anesthesiology, Psychology, Center for Consciousness Studies, The University of Arizona
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/DE8y1o31gbazKkCwhvDsKnTRLkN2z6Jt0OfPZPlWiMNZ4qagdfqemfJnB4mLNegM.5NmMG4dCSBLHfveL (Passcode: KE&epC2B)

September 25, 2023
"Quantum Biology: how nature harnesses quantum processes to function optimally, and how might we control such quantum processes to therapeutic and tech advantage"
Clarice Aiello, Quantum Biology Tech Lab, UCLA
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/PwXXHOr4rLWzAIXRDwz8Vph4LoSdnbtKpY0Lqx9q15Vw_b_j4jlScFQRYyfneCCl.uGty3hFea_kLkkPq (Passcode: lUeJ1Vj.)

August 28, 2023
"Molecular mechanisms of Li action in neurodegeneration, effect of Li isotopes and quantum neuroscience"
Zoya Leonenko, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Department of Biology, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology

August 21, 2023
"IBM Quantum"
Joseph S. Broz, Ph.D., IBM Vice President, Quantum Strategy and Growth, Thomas J. Watson Research Center; Travis L. Scholten, Technical Lead for the Public Sector at IBM Quantum; Marilyn Wagner, Head of Quantum Health Care & Life Sciences, Aerospace & Defense and the US Government for IBM
Zoom Link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ftgthtl7z11l4tcg3zx10/video1343663626.mp4?rlkey=qqv2flcgt87oaoomcef64y1xv&dl=0

July 31, 2023
"Beyond Molecules: Harnessing Biophysics and Quantum Mechanics for the Development of Novel Diagnostics and Therapies"
Nirosha Murugan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Wilfred Laurier University

June 26, 2023
"Using Fluorescent Proteins to Explore Quantum Behavior in Chromoproteins: Molecular Exciton Entanglement"
Steven Vogel, Ph.D., Laboratory of Biophotonics and Quantum Biology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

April 24, 2023
"Diamond Voltage Microscopy for Neuronal Electrophysiology"
David A. Simpson, School of Physics, University of Melbourne
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/V911gLBJ1RhWrSG0c-gpb7eTt4mW4Jrv2QaYkfnWL7kit58Ve9DgQ2574f1g9Teo.ky7jEf7x0pM7Vw6E (Passcode: 7M%#v4^x)

March 27, 2023
"NIH QIS Quantum Sensing Webinar: Nanodiamond Is Forever: Fluorescent Nanodiamonds for in Vitro and in Vivo Biological Imaging"
Keir C. Neuman, Ph.D., NHLBI
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/w2-UBgsPz7R9MdejIHip426Pxkuw3ruHBWzY-zYW3eb__a6ahsa5Vc7pTVUlcyXz.s0exRncZh0sVVWK6 (Passcode: IK2Jv9L%)

February 27, 2023
"Photon Correlation Measurements for Quantitative Biology"
Sergey Polyakov, Ph.D., NIST
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/hReUjzp3V1CH-AAsfdx5aT2Z8ubUcyrC8LX3al-d5TBI6_sXVtNfdiR1ty6JSLPb.KRXMTZiOTqJPXhx0 (Passcode: kae1UH@C)

January 23, 2023
"Beyond the Science: An Industry Perspective on Where Quantum Will Impact Biomedicine"
Celia Merzbacher, Ph.D., SRI International
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/Jv9fjxSWEsyqqVeZo74xJCrQdK-XmLxJqpJ-HVv0AQSVAdJ5VVguhdk5zqp9UgRk.oNwexvvfgCYSRsnW (Passcode: +xW4mY&@)

January 5, 2023
"Near-term Applications of Quantum Sensing Technologies in Biomedical Sciences"
NIH Virtual Full-Day Workshop (6.5 hours)
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z74MiJ4j8o

December 7, 2022
"A Quantum Revolution in Drug Discovery"
Shahar Keinan, Ph.D., Polaris QB
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/OUAnB_P5hlzKaecWGinPLQ9K2ySnOddRe_2OlC_pEWy7kxfEXuKGUs_tzH7ipzKJ.4CKlFujvNRfmLekK (Passcode: !4X*x87q)

November 28, 2022
"Rapid and simple ultra-sensitive diagnostics with quantum magnetic sensing"
Colin Connolly, Ph.D., Quantum Diamond Technology, Inc.
Zoom Link: https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/7Vv3nHyQMx7BFYP1gSaiYpUP1l0fXokTH6j3YDHL4XJR6_M55zABRpe_pPNEIch1.Ksb2cVbIby684qPr (Passcode: nuJx54k*)