October 04, 2024 -- Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), in collaboration with Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Hospital, are developing a new technology for cancer monitoring based on the use of quantum sensors. The project has now been honored with the Medical Valley Award.

The technology is based on a new method for the optical detection of MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) signals that was developed as part of the 'Munich Quantum Valley (MQV)' Lighthouse Project IQ-Sense. “We can record MRI images on a camera and use them to perform MRI microscopy, a kind of hybrid method of optical microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging,” explains Dominik Bucher, Professor of Quantum Sensor Technology at TUM and lead scientist in the IQ-Sense project. Quantum sensors based on diamonds are used to measure the MRI signals.

In a joint project with LMU, the researchers now want to make this method applicable for cancer monitoring in hospitals. To this end, an adapted version of the IQ-Sense experiment is being set up in the Department of Experimental Radiology at LMU Hospital. Initial results show that individual cancer cells can be detected with exceptional accuracy. Thanks to this precision, the effects of cancer therapy could be determined within just a few days, that is, much faster than with conventional methods. In future, the new technology could therefore enable more detailed and precise cancer monitoring and thus optimized therapies. As part of the Medical Valley Award, the technology will now be validated for use in whole blood samples.

The goal of the MQV Lighthouse Project IQ-Sense is to develop and demonstrate quantum sensors that surpass current sensors in terms of precision. The project links researchers from the natural sciences with scientists in the field of life science and medicine to tailor quantum systems for the detection of different measuring quantities to realize sensors with unprecedented sensitivity.