CONSORTIUM
MUQUABIS proposes a unique synergic effort, gathering complementary expertise, technologies and infrastructures. Leading research institutions in quantum sensing, quantum optics and biophysics, together with four high-tech companies will rapidly move the project from fundamental quantum sensing components and protocols to technology validation on biological samples to a roadmap for industrial exploitation.
LIST OF PARTNERS
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
The Italian National Research Council (CNR) coordinates the Project MUQUABIS. CNR is the largest Italian public research organization. It is composed of eighty-eight institutes, organized in seven departments with different objectives and competencies, spread all over the country. CNR takes part in the Project through the Italian National Institute of Optics (CNR-INO) and the Institute of Nanoscience (CNR-NANO). CNR provides expertise from the development of advanced NV sensing techniques, the development of non-classical radiation sources in the IR range, the application to quantum imaging and spectroscopy of cardiac cell culture/tissue dynamics, and the assessment of the technology and roadmap for industrialization.
Max Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy
The Max-Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy (MBI) is a nonprofit research institution, organized in the legal form of a registered association (Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.). The research group involved in MUQUABIS is a world leader in precision measurements, frequency combs, dual-comb spectroscopy, quantum physics and in the exploration of new insights where fundamental physics and advanced photonics technology interplay. The group operates state-of-the-art laboratories with first-class equipment in atomic, molecular and optical physics. Within the Consortium, MPG develops dual-comb hyperspectral-imaging and spectroscopy tools based on quantum frequency combs, and aims at demonstrating them on organic, biological and living samples.
Johannes Gutenberg-Universitat Mainz
Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) is one of the leading research campuses in Germany, featuring, apart from the University itself, also two Max-Planck Institutes, a Helmholtz Institute (where the JGU group is hosted), the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence, as well as modern MAMI/MESA particle-accelerator complex and one of the few remaining active research nuclear reactors in Germany. The JGU group has vast experience with sensing based on diamond color centers, as well as with laser spectroscopy in the context of fundamental-physics work and a variety of applications. In recent years, the JGU group used advanced spin-based sensors to measure zero- to ultralow-field nuclear magnetic resonance (ZULF NMR) spectra of biologically relevant molecules, to detect magnetic fields from carnivorous plants and to monitor biomagnetic signals from human subjects (in collaboration with the JGU Mainz University clinic and PTB). The JGU group works to the integration and comparative characterization activities planned within MUQUABIS.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) group has proven expertise in NV-based magnetic microscopy, with demonstrated results related to high-sensitivity and high-resolution magnetic measurements of various samples, including condensed matter samples and NMR/MRI. Moreover, the group has developed and implemented novel sensing protocols and techniques directly relevant to the goals of the project, including compressed sensing in NV magnetic imaging and characterization of radical concentration. The group is strongly committed to the project, and will invest its resources, including existing equipment and personnel, as a basis for developing the required systems, training newly recruited students, and performing the planned experiments. The HUJI group has a long (~10 years) and fruitful history of collaborative research with the JGU and E6 group, including joint participation with E6 in the recent EU Quantum Flagship project MetaboliQs. In addition, HUJI is collaborating with CNR in the ongoing EU FET Open project PATHOS.
Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma
Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (UCBM) is a young, yet rapidly developing, private academic institution, devoted to undergraduate and postgraduate education, provision of high-quality healthcare services with the Research Hospital, and advanced research in the field of bioengineering and biosciences. The strong interdisciplinarity and vocation to applied sciences of UCBM provides the perfect background knowledge to transfer advanced quantum technologies to biological and biomedical applications. UCBM has strong expertise in theoretical modeling and numerical simulations of excitable biological systems at different scales, ranging from subcellular and single cells up to organ-scale: neurons, pancreatic beta-cells, smooth and cardiac muscles. The group developed multi-field theories and effective statistical indices to identify regular rhythms up to turbulent regimes, with special focus on pinning and unpinning phenomena of vortices in the heart, always in strong relationship with experimental and biomedical experts. In MUQUABIS, UCBM develops a multiscale-multiphysics description of cardiac activity, and will also provide an advisory and supervisory role for the biological applications of multiscale quantum imaging and spectroscopy techniques.
FAKULTNI NEMOCNICE U SV ANNY V BRNE
The International Clinical Research Center (ICRC) is a EU-funded project of St. Anne’s University Hospital Brno, which employs 490 people and hosts young promising researchers and students from all over the world (18 nationalities represented). The activities described in the project will be performed at the Center for Translational Medicine (CTM) of FNUSA-ICRC. CTM features state-of-the-art equipment for biological sample production, manipulation and analysis. The center has two fully equipped cell culture rooms, one for adult animal and human cells, the other dedicated to pluripotent cells. The latter will be used to handle patient-derived iPSC cell lines andgenerate the contractile monolayers. The facilities also feature cell separation (BD FACSCanto II cell analyser, SA3800 Spectral Cytometer and Beckman Coulter MoFlo Astrios FACS Sorter), molecular biology and biochemistry premises for PCR Analysis (Roche LightCycler 480 II) and protein analysis (Microplate ELISA reader, Microplate Luminometer, ChemiDoc MP, 2D electrophoresis, DIONEX UltiMate RSLNano system, capillary electrophoresis, BRUKER microTOF-Q II mass spectrometer, MALDI TOF MS instrument) The bioimaging facility features cutting edge laser scanning microscope equipped for live imaging (ZEISS LSM780, ZEISS LSM 7 live, Leica SP8), two- photon microscope (ZEISS LSM 7MP), laser cut microscope mounted on ZEISS AXIO Observer Z.1 and JEOL JCM-6000 plus Neoscope Scanning Electron Microscope, and also a Maestro multielectrode array (MEA). The facility is also equipped with brand new and complete workflow for tissue processing, including LEICA Tissue processor, cryostat, fully automated rotary microtome and ZEISS Axio Scan Z.1 automatic slide scanner.
LEONARDO – SOCIETA PER AZIONI
Leonardo S.p.A (LDO) is a global player in the high-tech sectors and a major operator worldwide in the aerospace, defence and security sectors. Leonardo is based in Italy, has more than 45,000 employees, amongst them 37% working abroad. Based on the dual application of technologies, LDO designs and creates products, systems, services and integrated solutions both for the defence sector and for public and private customers of the civil sector, both in Italy and abroad. The wide range of defence and security solutions that LDO offers to governments, private citizens and institutions includes every possible intervention scenario: airborne and terrestrial, naval and maritime, space and cyberspace. LDO corporate labs (LDO LABS) on quantum technologies are composed of three research units working on quantum communications and computing, quantum imaging and quantum sensing. The LDO LABS can offer state-of-the-art lab facilities to explore low TRL research projects. In close contact with local customers and partners, Leonardo works every day to strengthen global security, provide essential physical protection and cybersecurity services for people, territories and infrastructure networks and supports scientific and technological research. In this project, LDO will offer its expertise on non-classical sources of light to develop a photon-pair source tailored for biomedical applications. The source will be applied for a quantum imaging technique to obtain features of a cardiac tissue with non-invasive illumination in the IR. This will enable new applications in biomedical imaging for samples where classical imaging with laser beams can damage the sample itself, preventing the identification of some features as well as the possibility of recording real-time image for long illumination times.
QLIBRI GMBH
Qlibri is a spin-off project, which started at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and pushes the commercialization of fiber-based open micro-cavities. Originating from the groups of Nobel-laureate Prof. Hänsch (quantum optics) and the awardee of multiple ERC grants Prof. Högele (nanophotonics) it unites all competences and the network to commercialize this cutting-edge technology. It could already show a portable micro-cavity absorption microscope and demonstrate the proof-of-principle of a general-purpose low-temperature micro-cavity quantum optics platform. It has a unique knowledge base upon micro-cavity systems and fiber-machining techniques needed for the implementation of frequency combs in millimeter long micro-cavities. The Qlibri GmbH is currently in formation. Within the Consortium, Qlibri will identify the feasibility of a commercialization of the developed technological aspects. While integrated systems like quantum frequency might be useful for specialized research institutes, millimeter long fiber micro-mirrors can be of potential use in an even wider community of biomedical sensing applications.
ppqSense S.r.l.
The company ppqSense S.r.l. (PPQS) was founded in 2016 as a spin-off of CNR, involving 6 researchers belonging to CNR-INO. Its core business is the development, manufacturing and sale of the unique C14-SCAR instruments,able to analyze the C-14 content in CO2, even below the extremely low natural abundance (~1 ppt) with a laser-based all-optical technique. The company business has started with the commercialization of one of the key components of the C14-SCAR analyzer, namely an ultra-low-noise modular current driver (called QubeCL) specially designed for highly demanding opto-electronic devices such as quantum cascade lasers (QCLs), in terms of both driving currents and compliance voltages. The modular architecture can host additional temperature control and PLL modules within the same compact instrument. Within this project, PPQS will be in charge of the design and realization of the current drivers and temperature controllers needed for the ultra-low-noise operation of the QCL sources. PPQS has all the required expertise and facilities to design and manufacture all this kind of electronics, which will be promptly made available to project partners under request.
HiQuTe Diamond
HiQuTe Diamond is based on the internationally recognised expertise of the LSPM research unit in the synthesis of synthetic diamonds by plasma-assisted CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition). Research activities on synthetic diamonds were initiated in this laboratory in the early 1990s. The team was also a pioneer in the field of diamond plate manufacturing for high technology. It developed the first diamonds for use in quantum technologies in 2007 for the development of sensors. Since then, several hundred diamond wafers have been supplied by the LSPM to various academic and private partners to validate the potential of using diamond in quantum sensors and to develop new products or applications. Aware of the maturity of some diamond-based technologies, and with a strong desire to export their know-how to the socio-economic world, the researchers Riadh Issaoui, Fabien Bénédic, Jocelyn Achard, Ovidiu Brinza and Alexandre Tallaire co-founded HiQuTe Diamond with the venture builder Technofounders to bring their breakthrough innovation to their addressable markets and contribute concretely to the emergence of an industry of excellence in the field of quantum sensors at a European level.