Quantum Technologies for the Life Sciences by Prof. Martin B.Plenio
Abstract:
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), a widely employed spectroscopic technique in biology and the life sciences, finds diverse applications ranging from chemical analysis and drug discovery to medical imaging. Despite its versatility, NMR faces inherent limitations, primarily linked to its low sensitivity. This constraint stems from the weak nuclear spin polarization in thermal equilibrium, typically amounting to a few parts per million, coupled with the inefficiencies inherent to inductive NMR signal detection. In this talk, I will explore strategies to overcome these limitations through the application of quantum technologies. Specifically, I will showcase how optically detected magnetic resonance, utilizing color centers in diamond, provides a means for detecting NMR signals with chemical shift resolution at the nano- and microscale. However, achieving this goal requires additional considerations, and I will discuss how quantum control can facilitate nuclear spin hyperpolarization, resulting in 10,000-fold increases in NMR signals. Combined with signal processing methods, this approach holds the potential not only for metabolic NMR-profiling of single cells but also for metabolic magnetic resonance imaging in humans, with potential applications in early treatment assessment in cancer care using standard clinical MRI scanners.
About the speaker:
Professor Plenio is the Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics and of the Center for Quantum Bio-Sciences and he leads the Controlled Quantum Dynamics group at Ulm University, Germany. His research interests cover Quantum Technologies, Quantum Information Science and Quantum Biology (including Photosynthesis and Electron Transport). Martin Plenio is a leading expert in the transport of excitons in natural photosynthetic systems.
Practical information:
This year, the physics colloquium has a new format:
- Onsite at Campus Limpertsberg, where you will have the opportunity to meet the speaker over lunch. The catering is offered only to the registered participants from noon in the BSC Hall. Please register to the lunch here before the 23rd.
- Online – through Webex – to allow you to listen to the talk in case you are travelling or cannot make it on-site at Campus Limpertsberg. Join online here , credentials: meeting number 27845257795 , meeting password: SRtVmvhK624