Researchers at the University of Chicago Create Quantum Sensors Out of Living Cells, opening the Way for New Disease Detection
Researchers at the University of Chicago have successfully created a first-of-its-kind biological quantum bit, or “qubit,” by reusing a protein that is naturally present in live cells. This finding breaks the boundaries between science fiction and reality. Under the direction of Peter Maurer, an assistant professor at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, the team has transformed the cell’s internal machinery into an extremely accurate sensor that can track biological activities at the most basic level. This discovery was just named one of the top 10 discoveries of 2025 by Physics World magazine.
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The Biological Qubit: A Novel Host Type
A qubit is a quantum mechanical system that can exist in two distinct states at the same time, at its most abstract level. Peter Maurer‘s group investigated a more radical host: individual proteins, whereas conventional quantum engineering frequently depends on qubits housed in extremely high vacuums or artificial diamond crystals.
The discovery centers on the yellow fluorescent protein, a widely used instrument in microscopy that was not intended by nature for quantum applications. The researchers were able to encode quantum information into an electron spin by using a particular “triplet state” that exists within the protein. Amazingly, these protein-based qubits have “long quantum coherence,” which means they can hold onto their quantum characteristics for periods of time comparable to those of the superconducting qubits that are now being utilized to create quantum computers by IT behemoths like IBM and Google.
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Sensing versus Imaging: Observing “What Happened”
Fluorescent microscopy has been the “workhorse” of molecular biology for decades since it enables researchers to precisely track the positions of molecules and identify them at the nanoscale. Peter Maurer clarifies that comprehending a molecule’s functional state is “a far cry” from knowing its position.
The location of a protein can be determined by standard imaging techniques, but they are unable to show its history, including if it has been altered in a way that is linked to a disease or has interacted with a medication. By monitoring environmental disturbances like temperature, pressure, and electric and magnetic forces, quantum sensing modifies this.
The ability to directly encode a qubit into a protein has allowed researchers to install molecular-sized MRI sensors within living cells. These protein sensors are genetically encoded, in contrast to earlier attempts employing “nanodiamonds,” which are frequently ten times larger than the molecules they are intended to analyze and challenging to locate. As a result, the sensor can be expressed by the cell itself, position it “deterministically” in the precise location needed for measurement.
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In Medical Diagnostics
The medical ramifications are significant. With the use of these biological sensors, medical professionals may be able to identify infamously challenging conditions like Alzheimer’s without the need for intrusive procedures and much before symptoms appear. With 20,000 different protein kinds in the human body, Peter Maurer pointed out that cells are extremely complicated systems with millions of conceivable alterations. Nowadays, examining these “post-translational modifications” frequently necessitates killing the cell in a mass spectroscopy apparatus. A non-invasive substitute is offered by quantum sensors, which may be able to pinpoint the precise time at which a beneficial protein develops a disease and impairs cellular function.
Additionally, the team is investigating oncology applications, such as attaching diamond quantum sensors to the tips of endoscopic or surgical instruments to offer real-time pathology data that is not possible with conventional imaging. Surgeons may be able to distinguish between diseased and non-cancerous tissue with previously unheard-of molecular precision because of this.
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The Two-Way Street: Biology Aiding Physics
Peter Maurer proposes a “reverse” benefit: employing biotechnology to enhance quantum technology, even if the main focus is frequently on how quantum technology benefits biology. Scientists can enhance qubit performance by using “black box optimization”—basically guided evolution, because the sensor is genetically programmed. By altering the protein’s underlying gene and choosing the most stable variations, researchers can “evolve” qubits that are orders of magnitude superior to those created via conventional top-down engineering.
Additionally, a cell’s biological machinery may self-assemble to create atomically precise billions of identical clones. Large arrays of qubits could ultimately be created in order to construct quantum simulators, which could simulate intricate physical systems that are currently unsolvable by traditional computers.
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Conclusion: Beyond Science Fiction
Although the concept of a biological qubit was regarded as “future science fiction” ten years ago, Maurer and his associates are currently in the process of creating proof-of-concept devices. The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering is laying the groundwork for a time when we will be able to hear the “early signals” of illness before they ever show symptoms by utilizing the sensitivity of quantum states within a cell’s natural environment.
Although we have only “started to scratch the surface,” according to Peter Maurer, the fusion of quantum and life sciences may be the most advanced and revolutionary area in the quantum realm.
