New research centre to study quantum biomedical sensors

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the Technical University of Denmark and the University of Texas at Austin (USA) are to gain a centre to study how to apply the laws of quantum mechanics to sensors to improve the diagnosis and prevention of diseases. The centre has been established with a donation from the Novo Nordisk Foundation worth around US$ 22 million.

“Sensors are among the most mature quantum technologies and have the potential to significantly improve medical diagnostics,” says Lene Oddershede, senior vice president of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

According to the Danish foundation, advances in quantum sensor technology have made it possible to record and measure small changes in movement and electric and magnetic fields much better than classical sensors. This capability based on quantum physics helps to identify weak signals inside the body, such as electromagnetic impulses coming from the nervous system, the heart or the brain. This is relevant information that can facilitate the early detection and prevention of diseases.

At the new Copenhagen Centre for Biomedical Quantum Sensor Studies, researchers intend to promote advances in the use of these quantum detection and imaging technologies in medical diagnostics and health treatments. “Denmark has solid initiatives in the field of quantum sensing and, with this donation, we want to make it possible to accelerate the development of this powerful technology and take it from laboratories to clinical applications,” explains Oddershede.

The main objective of the new research centre is to develop and use new quantum sensing principles and techniques for biomedical diagnostics that can operate close to and beyond the quantum limits of sensitivity, with ultrasensitive platforms for early detection of diseases, as well as facilitating in-depth research into cellular systems on an unprecedented scale and precision.

In collaboration with hospitals and biomedical specialists, the intention is to develop new atomic and quantum methods that can be applied to some of the most pressing health problems, such as the early diagnosis of heart and brain abnormalities and the detection of metabolic alterations.

Research examples

The University of Texas, for example, must focus its research on the global fight against iron deficiency, which affects around half of all children in the world, with devastating effects on brain function throughout life. To do this, a highly accurate test needs to be developed to assess the absorption of iron supplements by babies and young children. However, this is still very expensive and requires a very large blood sample. With the application of quantum sensors, the researchers want to work with smaller samples in order to have accurate and more accessible diagnoses.

Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI) at the University of Copenhagen are monitoring the heartbeats of foetuses and carrying out other types of delicate medical examinations using quantum sensors. The results have already been published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Quantum sensors can detect all vital processes involving small variations in magnetic fields and tissue conductivity. The challenge that the NBI group has helped to overcome is distinguishing the signals of interest from the various types of noise.

The Technical University of Denmark will be working with experimental optical and solid-state sensors, including a quantum microscope that will allow biological systems to be studied in unprecedented detail.

The amount donated by the Novo Nordisk Foundation will be applied to the first six-year phase of the Copenhagen Centre for Biomedical Quantum Sensor Studies. Funding for phase 2 will be raised in partnership with the Pointsman Foundation. According to Allied Market Research, the global quantum sensor market was valued at US$ 0.3 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach US$ 1.11 billion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 14.07 per cent in the period between 2023 and 2032. The main opportunities will come precisely from the medical sector.