Project description
Magnetic resonance advances could help reveal the metabolic signatures of diseases
Scientists working on nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging are prominent examples of how interdisciplinary collaboration can benefit science and society. The fields have led to significant advances in a wide range of disciplines from chemistry to life sciences. However, the low inherent sensitivity of the methods makes their extension to the nanoscale, and therefore the observation of metabolic processes, impossible. To address this challenge, the EU-funded HyperQ project will pioneer methods to control solid-state spins at room temperature. This will increase nuclear spin polarisation several orders of magnitude above thermal equilibrium and thereby revolutionise state-of-the-art magnetic resonance. The HyperQ technology will help reveal the metabolic signatures of a broad range of diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Objective
Many of the most remarkable contributions of modern science to society have arisen from the interdisciplinary work of scientists enabling novel methods of imaging and sensing. Outstanding examples are nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which have enabled fundamental insights in a broad range of sciences extending from Chemistry to the Life Sciences. However, the key challenge of NMR and MRI is their very low inherent sensitivity due to the weak nuclear spin polarisation under ambient conditions. This makes the extension of magnetic resonance to the nanoscale (small volumes) and to the observation of metabolic processes (low concentrations) impossible.
HyperQ will address this challenge with the development of room-temperature quantum control of solid-state spins to increase nuclear spin polarisation several orders of magnitude above thermal equilibrium and thereby revolutionise the state-of-the-art of magnetic resonance. Essential for this development is the synergy of an interdisciplinary team of world leaders in quantum control and hyperpolarised magnetic resonance to enable the development of quantum control theory (“Quantum Software”), quantum materials (“Quantum Hardware”), their integration (“Quantum Devices”) and applications to biological and medical imaging (“Medical Quantum Applications”). HyperQ will target major breakthroughs in the field of magnetic resonance, which include chip-integrated hyperpolarisation devices designed to operate in combination with portable magnetic resonance quantum sensors, unprecedented sensitivity of bio-NMR at the nanoscale, and biomarkers of deranged cellular metabolism.
The HyperQ technology will provide access to metabolic processes from the micron to the nanoscale and thereby insights into metabolic signatures of a broad range of disease such as cancer, Alzheimer and the mechanisms behind neurodegenerative disease. This will enable fundamentally new insights into the Life Sciences.
Fields of science
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftware
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicineneurologydementiaalzheimer
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncology
- engineering and technologymedical engineeringdiagnostic imagingmagnetic resonance imaging
Programme(s)
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-SyG - Synergy grantHost institution
89081 Ulm
Germany