Objective
MIstiQU-MED addresses a central gap in medical diagnostics: most imaging modalities detects disease once it becomes morphologically visible, while earlier functional changes in tissue remain inaccessible. Early malignancy and internal injury alter ion transport and membrane polarization, producing shifts in electrical conductivity (σ) and permittivity (ε), but today these contrasts are difficult to measure in vivo at depth with portable systems because electrical methods rely on electrode coupling, and weak inductive signals.
MIstiQU-MED proposes a proof-of-concept project to establish the feasibility of MHz-band quantum readout of conductivity and permittivity contrasts generated by ultrasound excitation, in an unshielded environment, with controlled phantom samples. The project will develop a magneto-acoustic sensing architecture in which a phased ultrasound array localizes a RF Lorentz current inside tissue, and a warm-vapor atomic magnetometer reads the resulting RF magnetic field with phase-sensitive demodulation to separate σ and ε channels.
Objectives are to
(i) engineer the acoustic–magnetometer coupling geometry and bias-field module,
(ii) implement coherent optical readout and narrowband rejection of external RF backgrounds using the PI’s ERC CoG atomic-coherence toolkit, and
(iii) validate sensitivity, spatial selectivity, and reconstruction in heterogeneous tissue phantoms representative of breast cancer and/or trauma.
The high-risk research part is achieving pT-level detection without magnetic shielding by operating in the ultrasound MHz band and synchronously extracting the signal; the high-gain outcome is a validated phantom-level prototype for a future portable and radiation-free diagnostic tool for early oncology screening and rapid triage of non-compressible haemorrhage and pneumothorax.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine oncology breast cancer
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics geometry
- natural sciences physical sciences acoustics ultrasound
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2026-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75006 Paris
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.