QIS and Quantum Sensing in Biology Interest Group

New: Join us for our September 25 seminar, "Quantum Biology: how nature harnesses quantum processes to function optimally, and how might we control such quantum processes to therapeutic and tech advantage" with Clarice Aiello. See details below.

About us: 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 trans-NIH 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.

Partners:

1. 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.

2. 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, https://www.theguyfoundation.org/our-conferences-and-meetings, on their YouTube channel, https://youtube.com/@theguyfoundation. For more information about the Foundation, visit the website 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

Next Event:

"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

Monday, September 25, 12:00–1:15 p.m. ET
Join Zoom via https://nih.zoomgov.com/j/1613050320

Lecture abstract: Imagine driving cell activities to treat injuries and disease simply by using tailored magnetic fields. Many relevant physiological processes, such as: the regulation of oxidative stress, proliferation, and respiration rates in cells; wound healing; ion channel functioning; and DNA repair were all demonstrated to be controlled by weak magnetic fields (with a strength on the order of that produced by your cell phone). Such macroscopic physiological responses to magnetic fields are consistent with being driven by chemical reactions that depend on the electron quantum property of spin. In the long-term, the electromagnetic fine-tuning of endogenous “quantum knobs” existing in nature could enable the development of drugs and therapeutic devices that could heal the human body — in a way that is non-invasive, remotely actuated, and easily accessible by anyone with a mobile phone. However, whereas spin-dependent chemical reactions have been unambiguously established for test-tube chemistry (bearing uncanny similarities with what physicists call “spin quantum sensing”), current research has not been able to deterministically link spin states to physiological outcomes in vivo and in real time. With novel quantum instrumentation, we are learning to control spin states within cells and tissues, having as a goal to write the “codebook” on how to deterministically alter physiology with weak magnetic fields to therapeutic and technological advantage.

Speaker Bio:

Prof. Clarice D. Aiello is a quantum engineer interested in how quantum physics informs biology at the nanoscale. She is an expert on nanosensors harnessing room-temperature quantum effects in noisy environments. Aiello received her B.S. in Physics from the Ecole Polytechnique; her M.Phil. in Physics from the University of Cambridge, Trinity College; and her Ph.D. from MIT in Electrical Engineering. She also held postdoctoral appointments in Bioengineering at Stanford, and in Chemistry at Berkeley. Two months before the pandemic, she joined UCLA, where she leads the Quantum Biology Tech (QuBiT) Lab.

Upcoming Events

September 25, 2023, 12:00–1:15 p.m. ET
"Quantum Biology: how nature harnesses quantum processes to function optimally, and how might we control such quantum processes to therapeutic and tech advantage"
by Clarice Aiello, Quantum Biology Tech Lab, UCLA

Past Events

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

August 21, 2023
"IBM Quantum"
by Joseph S. Broz, PhD, 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 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"
by 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(external link), 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"
by David A. Simpson, School of Physics, University of Melbourne
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"
by Keir C. Neuman, Ph.D., NHLBI
https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/w2-UBgsPz7R9MdejIHip426Pxkuw3ruHBWzY-… (Passcode: IK2Jv9L%)

February 27, 2023
"Photon Correlation Measurements for Quantitative Biology"
by Sergey Polyakov, Ph.D., NIST
https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/hReUjzp3V1CH-AAsfdx5aT2Z8ubUcyrC8LX3a… (Passcode: kae1UH@C)

January 23, 2023
"Beyond the Science: An Industry Perspective on Where Quantum Will Impact Biomedicine"
by Celia Merzbacher, Ph.D., SRI International
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)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z74MiJ4j8o

December 7, 2022
"A Quantum Revolution in Drug Discovery"
by Shahar Keinan, Ph.D., Polaris QB
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"
by Colin Connolly, Ph.D., Quantum Diamond Technology, Inc.
https://nih.zoomgov.com/rec/share/7Vv3nHyQMx7BFYP1gSaiYpUP1l0fXokTH6j3YDHL4XJR6_M55zABRpe_pPNEIch1.Ksb2cVbIby684qPr (Passcode: nuJx54k*)