Descripción del proyecto
Los avances en resonancias magnéticas podrían ayudar a revelar las firmas metabólicas de algunas enfermedades
Los científicos que trabajan en resonancias magnéticas nucleares e imagenología por resonancia magnética son ejemplos destacados de cómo puede beneficiar la colaboración interdisciplinar a la ciencia y la sociedad. Estos campos han dado lugar a avances importantes en una gran variedad de disciplinas, que van desde la química hasta las ciencias de la vida. Sin embargo, la baja sensibilidad inherente a estos métodos hace que sea imposible ampliar su alcance a nanoescala y, por tanto, a la observación de los procesos metabólicos. Para abordar este desafío, el proyecto financiado con fondos europeos HyperQ liderará el desarrollo de métodos para controlar espines de estado sólido a temperatura ambiente. Esto aumentará la polarización de los espines nucleares varias órdenes de magnitud por encima del equilibrio térmico y, de este modo, revolucionará las resonancias magnéticas más modernas. La tecnología de HyperQ ayudará a revelar las firmas metabólicas de un amplio abanico de enfermedades como el cáncer, el alzhéimer y otros trastornos neurodegenerativos.
Objetivo
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.
Ámbito científico
- 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
Programa(s)
Tema(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-SyG - Synergy grantInstitución de acogida
89081 Ulm
Alemania