Objective Modern physics has contributed to the development of powerful instruments and diagnostic tools for biology and medicine, with a direct impact on both our well-being and life expectancy. Today, it is timely to ask if the novel field of quantum information is ready to provide new methods for the life sciences. This proposal makes a step in this direction, introducing non-invasive quantum techniques for experimental biology, with potential applications to biomedical imaging. My goal is to show how quantum correlations (entanglement or discord) can be exploited to realize a fully non-invasive form of spectroscopy, which can be safely applied to fragile materials, such as photo-degradable biological samples (DNA/RNA) or in-vivo human tissues. These objectives are not met in today’s biology labs, where UV-light photometry heavily damages DNA/RNA samples, or in public hospitals, where X-ray scans expose patients to significant radiation doses, with non-negligible risks of cancer. The basic rationale behind the use of quantum correlations relies on their superior capacity to detect small variations in the absorption properties of the materials, even when only a few photons are employed. By exploiting this remarkable feature, I will prove the possibility of non-invasive testing of biological samples. My central task will be the design of a practical model of a quantum-enhanced photometer which is fully based on continuous-variable systems. This design will involve the extension of quantum sensing and metrology to a more advanced double-box formulation where two channels, representing seeded and blank samples, are simultaneously probed. The realization of such a quantum-enhanced instrument would allow for real-time continuous measurements of organic molecules and nucleic acids without any photo-degradation. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesnucleic acidsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologysocial sciencessociologysocial issuessocial inequalitiesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesgeneticsRNAnatural sciencesphysical sciencestheoretical physicsparticle physicsphotons Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2016 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-GF - Global Fellowships Coordinator UNIVERSITY OF YORK Net EU contribution € 269 857,80 Address Heslington YO10 5DD York north yorkshire United Kingdom See on map Region Yorkshire and the Humber North Yorkshire York Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Partners (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all Partner Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY United States Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address Massachusetts avenue 77 02139 Cambridge See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 172 130,40
