In the context of biology, unlike the well-established Standard Model in physics, many biological processes lack a complete theoretical framework and are often described phenomenologically. A pertinent example is olfaction, the process through which humans and animals distinguish various odors. The conventional biological explanation for olfaction relies on the lock and key model, which, while useful, does not fully account for all observed phenomena. As an alternative or complement to this model, vibration-assisted electron tunnelling has been proposed. Drawing inspiration from the vibration-assisted electron tunnelling model for olfaction, we have developed a theoretical model for electron tunnelling in SARS-CoV-2 virus infection within a non-Markovian framework. We approach this by solving the non-Markovian quantum stochastic Schrödinger equation. In our model, the spike protein and the GPCR receptor are conceptualized as a dimer, utilizing the spin-Boson model to facilitate the description of electron tunnelling. Our analysis shows that electron tunnelling persists even at intermediate and strong coupling limits between the dimer components, presenting a stark contrast to the predictions from Markovian regime models. Notably, Markovian models often yield unphysical negative probabilities, particularly in the strong coupling limit, underscoring significant discrepancies and highlighting the importance of considering non-Markovian dynamics in accurately modeling such quantum processes. This approach enhances our understanding of viral infection mechanisms while also offering deeper insights into the quantum biological process of olfaction.
In the context of biology, unlike the well-established Standard Model in physics, many biological processes lack a complete theoretical framework and are often described phenomenologically. A pertinent example is olfaction, the process through which humans and animals distinguish various odors. The conventional biological explanation for olfaction relies on the lock and key model, which, while useful, does not fully account for all observed phenomena. As an alternative or complement to this model, vibration-assisted electron tunnelling has been proposed. Drawing inspiration from the vibration-assisted electron tunnelling model for olfaction, we have developed a theoretical model for electron tunnelling in SARS-CoV-2 virus infection within a non-Markovian framework. We approach this by solving the non-Markovian quantum stochastic Schrödinger equation. In our model, the spike protein and the GPCR receptor are conceptualized as a dimer, utilizing the spin-Boson model to facilitate the description of electron tunnelling. Our analysis shows that electron tunnelling persists even at intermediate and strong coupling limits between the dimer components, presenting a stark contrast to the predictions from Markovian regime models. Notably, Markovian models often yield unphysical negative probabilities, particularly in the strong coupling limit, underscoring significant discrepancies and highlighting the importance of considering non-Markovian dynamics in accurately modeling such quantum processes. This approach enhances our understanding of viral infection mechanisms while also offering deeper insights into the quantum biological process of olfaction.
In the context of biology, unlike the comprehensively established Standard Model in physics, many biological processes lack a complete theoretical framework and are often described phenomenologically. A pertinent example is olfaction -- the process through which humans and animals distinguish various odors. The conventional biological explanation for olfaction relies on the lock and key model, which, while useful, does not fully account for all observed phenomena. As an alternative or complement to this model, vibration-assisted electron tunneling has been proposed. Drawing inspiration from the vibration-assisted electron tunneling model for olfaction, we have developed a theoretical model for electron tunneling in SARS-CoV-2 virus infection within a non-Markovian framework. We approach this by solving the non-Markovian quantum stochastic Schrodinger equation. In our model, the spike protein and the GPCR receptor are conceptualized as a dimer, utilizing the spin-Boson model to facilitate the description of electron tunneling. Our analysis demonstrates that electron tunneling in this context exhibits inherently non-Markovian characteristics, extending into the intermediate and strong coupling regimes between the dimer components. This behavior stands in stark contrast to predictions from Markovian models, which fail to accurately describe electron tunneling in the strong coupling limit. Notably, Markovian approximations often lead to unphysical negative probabilities in this regime, underscoring their limitations and highlighting the necessity of incorporating non-Markovian dynamics for a more realistic description of biological quantum processes. This approach not only broadens our understanding of viral infection mechanisms but also enhances the biological accuracy and relevance of our theoretical framework in describing complex biological interactions.
• Published in the latest issue of CSBJ, proposing a new infection mechanism that overcomes the limitations of the classical lock and key model. • Confirmed the persistence of vibration-assisted electron tunnelling during the binding between the spike protein and ACE2 receptor. • Overcame the errors of the existing Markovian model... Suggests that viral infiltration is facilitated by the physical laws of quantum mechanics. [Quantum Biology Society] Revolutionary research results have been published showing that the cell infiltration process of SARS-CoV-2, which swept the world, is facilitated by quantum tunnelling, a quantum mechanical phenomenon, going beyond simple morphological binding. Recently, a paper titled "Non-Markovian Quantum State Diffusion for the tunnelling in SARS-COVID-19 virus" was published in the Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal (CSBJ). A research team including Muhammad Waqas Haseeb and Mohamad Toutounji from the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) elucidated this new infection mechanism using a mathematical quantum model. ■ A Quantum Biological Approach Beyond Lock and Key Until now, the biological infection process has mainly been explained by the classical lock and key model, where the virus's protein and the host cell's receptor bind according to their shapes. However, inspired by the vibration-assisted electron tunnelling theory of olfaction that explains how humans smell, the research team constructed the first non-Markovian quantum model to explain the SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanism. ■ Electron Tunnelling Assisted by Vibration... Accelerating Infiltration The research team conceptualized the virus's spike protein and the host cell's ACE2 receptor as a dimer in the spin-boson model, and solved the complex non-Markovian quantum stochastic Schrödinger equation (SSE). As a result of the analysis, while the existing Markovian model showed a critical limitation of deriving physically impossible negative probabilities in the strong coupling regime, they confirmed that in the non-Markovian model including memory effects, the tunnelling phenomenon—where the molecule's inherent vibration assists the movement of electrons—strongly persists even at intermediate and strong coupling limits. This means that even if a physical energy barrier exists, when specific vibration conditions are met, a quantum mechanical phenomenon where electrons pass right through the barrier intervenes in the viral binding process. ■ Heralding a New Paradigm in New Drug Development Consequently, it was revealed that the core process by which the virus binds to and infiltrates human cells goes beyond a simple structural interlocking and is directly facilitated by the physical laws of the microscopic world: molecular vibration and quantum tunnelling. This study is a groundbreaking achievement that reinterprets the infection mechanism of a deadly virus from a quantum biological perspective. It is expected to provide a crucial theoretical foundation for designing a new level of antivirals and vaccines that fundamentally block infection by controlling electron tunnelling at the quantum level in the future.
The spread of the COVID-19 virus has become a global health crisis, and finding effective treatments and preventions is a top priority. The field of quantum biology primarily focuses on energy or charge transfer, with a particular emphasis on photosynthesis. However, there is evidence to suggest that cellular receptors such as olfactory or neural receptors may also use vibration-assisted electron tunnelling to enhance their functions. Quantum tunnelling has also been observed in enzyme activity, which is relevant to the invasion of host cells by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Additionally, COVID-19 appears to disrupt receptors such as olfactory receptors. These findings suggest that quantum effects could provide new insights into the mechanisms of biological systems and disease, including potential treatments for COVID-19. We have applied the open quantum system approach using Quantum State Diffusion to solve the non-linear stochastic Schrödinger equation (SSE) for COVID-19 virus infection. Our model includes the mechanism when the spike protein of the virus binds with an ACE2 receptor is considered as dimer. These two entities form a system and then coupled with the cell membrane, which is modelled as a set of harmonic oscillators (bath). By simulating the SSE, we find that there is vibration-assisted electron tunnelling happening in certain biological parameters and coupling regimes. Furthermore, our model contributes to the ongoing research to understand the fundamental nature of virus dynamics. It proposes that vibration-assisted electron tunneling could be a molecular phenomenon that augments the lock-and-key process for olfaction. This insight may enhance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms governing virus-receptor interactions and could potentially lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
Quantum biology, at the intersection of quantum mechanics and biology, investigates the involvement of quantum phenomena in biological processes. A pivotal focus is quantum tunneling, wherein particles traverse energy barriers, a phenomenon with potential significance in various biological contexts. This article introduces a new class of linear potential functions for studying quantum tunneling in biological processes. The simplicity of linear potentials enables analytical solutions to the Schrödinger equation, offering efficiency compared to more complex numerical methods. The proposed linear potential functions are derived using parabolic curves, providing an analytical form with physical interpretations. The corresponding energy function and transmission coefficients are presented, facilitating a simplified understanding of tunneling behavior. Theoretical implications of the proposed model are discussed, emphasizing the ease of parameter variation and its applicability to diverse biological scenarios. In the numerical demonstration, two case studies are presented: (1) examining proton tunneling in DNA point mutations and (2) exploring electron tunneling in biological receptors, specifically the ACE2 receptor in the context of SARS-CoV-2.
We investigate vibrationally assisted electron transfer in an effective ligand--receptor complex using finite-temperature non-Markovian quantum-state diffusion with explicitly colored environmental noise. The model comprises donor and acceptor electronic states, an explicit bound-ligand vibrational mode, and a Gaussian protein--solvent bath. Linearization of a coordinate-dependent diabatic Hamiltonian yields two distinct system--environment interactions: diagonal coupling, which modulates the donor--acceptor energy gap, and off-diagonal non-Condon coupling, which modulates the electronic tunneling matrix element. In the rapidly equilibrating diagonal-bath limit, the model recovers the expected Marcus--Levich--Jortner vibronic-transfer behavior. Persistent environmental correlations instead generate non-exponential dynamics characterized by transient oscillations, back-transfer, and memory-dependent damping. Under matched weak-tunneling conditions, off-diagonal coupling opens a direct transition pathway and produces a larger finite-time acceptor population throughout the investigated parameter space. Because these dynamics do not generally support a unique kinetic rate, the enhancement is quantified using a time-averaged transfer yield. Comparisons with exact closed-system and commuting pure-dephasing limits validate the deterministic propagator and colored-noise construction, respectively, while the noncommuting dynamics are evaluated within a declared first-order finite-memory closure. These results identify ligand vibration, environmental memory, and non-Condon tunneling modulation as cooperating mechanisms that can dynamically regulate electron transfer in receptor-like environments, while maintaining a clear distinction between a mechanistic coarse-grained model and an atomistically parameterized biological complex.
Abstract This work emphasized the importance of quantum principles in Biological systems. Specially theoretically explained the mechanisms of infectious disease according to the laws of quantum mechanics, focusing on quantum tunneling. It determines the role of quantum events in microbial processes and demonstrates Schrödinger's prophetic view of quantum theory. Interactions between viruses and cells, as well as enzyme function and binding, are not well explained by traditional lock-and-key methods, while quantum tunneling, which is used to pass electrons through this method, can best demonstrate the function of spiked proteins with cellular receptors.