• Overcoming existing limitations of ultra-low temperatures and silicon bases by utilizing 3-nanometer (nm) fluorescent proteins as qubits. • Successful control of quantum states (Rabi oscillations) within E. coli at room temperature and human cells. • Enabling ultra-precise measurement of magnetic fields and temperatures inside cells... Heralding a paradigm shift in new drug development and cell imaging technologies. [Quantum Biology Society] The long-standing conventional wisdom that quantum technology can only be realized at cryogenic temperatures based on hard, highly ordered materials like diamonds or silicon has been broken. Biological quantum bits (qubits) that operate directly inside the watery and complex biological environment—that is, inside 'living cells'—have been developed for the first time in the world. Citing a study recently published in the international academic journal Nature, the US-based Science News reported that scientists have created biological qubits merely 3 nanometers (nm) in diameter using fluorescent proteins. ■ Controlling Quantum Mechanics with Biotechnology Tools Existing quantum technologies require extremely cold temperatures and strictly controlled environments, making them difficult to apply to unstable settings like the inside of living organisms. However, the research team chose to manipulate the spin of the 'fluorophore,' a specific part of a protein that emits light when exposed to it. Using genetic engineering, the research team directly produced this protein inside laboratory cells. They then succeeded in awakening the quantum properties of the protein by shooting laser light at it, fine-tuning it with microwaves, and observing the luminescence phenomenon. ■ Qubits Operating at 'Room Temperature'... Reading the Microenvironment of Diseases The most surprising achievement is the temperature of the experimental environment. Unlike the majority of qubits that lose their function at high temperatures, this biological qubit successfully demonstrated quantum state changes called 'Rabi oscillations' inside human cells at 175 Kelvin (-98.15°C), as well as inside E. coli at room temperature. This technological leap signifies the birth of 'biological quantum sensors' that can measure microscopic conditions such as magnetic fields and temperatures inside cells with unprecedented precision. It is expected to enable a new dimension of medical imaging technology and targeting by allowing the root causes of diseases to be identified at the intracellular molecular level. Amidst recent active academic movements in South Korea to integrate quantum mechanics into life phenomena, centered around the Quantum Biology Society, this study is also providing great inspiration for R&D strategies in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. In particular, such quantum sensing technology, which can precisely target and measure the microenvironment inside cells, could become a powerful key to maximizing the value of innovative pipelines in the future. Fluorescent proteins, which have been used for decades in biology labs to track proteins and cancer cells, are now wearing the clothes of quantum mechanics and opening a new era of quantum biology.
• Overcoming existing limitations of ultra-low temperatures and silicon bases by utilizing 3-nanometer (nm) fluorescent proteins as qubits. • Successful control of quantum states (Rabi oscillations) within E. coli at room temperature and human cells. • Enabling ultra-precise measurement of magnetic fields and temperatures inside cells... Heralding a paradigm shift in new drug development and cell imaging technologies. [Quantum Biology Society] The long-standing conventional wisdom that quantum technology can only be realized at cryogenic temperatures based on hard, highly ordered materials like diamonds or silicon has been broken. Biological quantum bits (qubits) that operate directly inside the watery and complex biological environment—that is, inside 'living cells'—have been developed for the first time in the world. Citing a study recently published in the international academic journal Nature, the US-based Science News reported that scientists have created biological qubits merely 3 nanometers (nm) in diameter using fluorescent proteins. ■ Controlling Quantum Mechanics with Biotechnology Tools Existing quantum technologies require extremely cold temperatures and strictly controlled environments, making them difficult to apply to unstable settings like the inside of living organisms. However, the research team chose to manipulate the spin of the 'fluorophore,' a specific part of a protein that emits light when exposed to it. Using genetic engineering, the research team directly produced this protein inside laboratory cells. They then succeeded in awakening the quantum properties of the protein by shooting laser light at it, fine-tuning it with microwaves, and observing the luminescence phenomenon. ■ Qubits Operating at 'Room Temperature'... Reading the Microenvironment of Diseases The most surprising achievement is the temperature of the experimental environment. Unlike the majority of qubits that lose their function at high temperatures, this biological qubit successfully demonstrated quantum state changes called 'Rabi oscillations' inside human cells at 175 Kelvin (-98.15°C), as well as inside E. coli at room temperature. This technological leap signifies the birth of 'biological quantum sensors' that can measure microscopic conditions such as magnetic fields and temperatures inside cells with unprecedented precision. It is expected to enable a new dimension of medical imaging technology and targeting by allowing the root causes of diseases to be identified at the intracellular molecular level. Amidst recent active academic movements in South Korea to integrate quantum mechanics into life phenomena, centered around the Quantum Biology Society, this study is also providing great inspiration for R&D strategies in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. In particular, such quantum sensing technology, which can precisely target and measure the microenvironment inside cells, could become a powerful key to maximizing the value of innovative pipelines in the future. Fluorescent proteins, which have been used for decades in biology labs to track proteins and cancer cells, are now wearing the clothes of quantum mechanics and opening a new era of quantum biology.
• A Perspective paper published in PNAS presents the scope and future research directions of quantum biology. • Focuses on quantum coherence and synchronization at macroscopic scales, rather than simply being a collection of unexplained phenomena. • Proposes three core open questions: the development of quantum probes, quantum-like classical systems, and the macroscopic amplification of microscopic quantum effects. [Quantum Biology Society] Generally, the "warm, wet, and noisy" environment that makes up living organisms is considered the most hostile condition for true quantum effects like entanglement or coherence to exist. However, elucidating how living organisms overcome these paradoxical limitations and utilize unique quantum wave-like properties for functional advantages is the very core of "quantum biology." Recently, a Perspective paper titled "What is quantum biology?" was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), drawing the attention of the academic community. A research team including Gregory D. Scholes and Graham R. Fleming clearly declared that quantum biology is not simply a "grab bag of biological phenomena that cannot be fully explained quantitatively by current science." ■ 'Coherence' and 'Synchronization' Governing Life Phenomena The paper reviews existing representative studies, such as exciton spreading in photosynthesis and avian navigation (magnetic field sensing), focusing on the "coherence" and "resonance" phenomena occurring in vivo. According to the researchers, the evolutionary process finely tuned the local protein environments of chromophores to closely match electronic and vibrational energy gaps. This optimization of frequency resonance is strong evidence that living organisms actively utilize quantum mechanical entanglement and wave properties to gain macroscopic physiological advantages. Furthermore, they explained that noise does not merely act as a destructive factor that collapses quantum states; rather, it can play a beneficial role in amplifying minute quantum signals and assisting transport through "stochastic resonance" or "quantum ratchet" mechanisms. ■ 3 Core Open Questions for the Future of Quantum Biology The researchers proposed three core open questions that must be resolved to firmly establish quantum biology as an independent discipline and focus future research agendas. 1. Development of quantum probes: Measurement technologies called "quantum probes" are needed to clearly and sharply reveal the quantum functions hidden within complex biological systems. 2. Identification of quantum-like systems: It must be determined whether classical biological machineries have the potential to exhibit useful properties as if possessing a "quantum advantage" simply by mimicking quantum systems. 3. Amplification to the macroscopic scale: We must understand the missing link of how microscopic-scale quantum mechanical mechanisms are amplified to the biological scale, providing the foundation for new macroscopic functions. This paper clearly redefined the scope of quantum biology into categories including: ▲ interactions with fields such as light, magnetic, and electric fields; ▲ various forms of coherence phenomena; ▲ microscopic quantum dynamical systems including spin and proton tunneling; and ▲ complex systems that mimic quantum phenomena through networks. Experts anticipate that this study will serve as an important compass for future quantum biology research, going beyond merely confirming the physical laws of the microscopic world to asking how living organisms control and optimize quantum phenomena in macroscopic environments.
Two revolutions in quantum sensing are converging on the same microscope stage. Biological qubits have emerged as genetically encoded, optically addressable quantum systems inside live cells. Solid state spin based qubits have been entangled and used as nanoscale correlator magnetometers, delivering sensitivity and spatial-resolution gains that single-spin probes cannot reach. Here we report a pulsed quantum microscope that enables simultaneous quantum state manipulation of both qubit technologies in live cells. The platform combines nanosecond-gated optical excitation at 450 nm and 520 nm, three-dimensional diffraction-limited addressing by galvo beam scanning and piezo objective focus, rapidly switched static and radio-frequency magnetic fields, single-photon timing with picosecond resolution, and microwave control for frequencies from DC to 5 GHz, including the 2.87 GHz resonance of solid state spins, the 500 MHz to 800 MHz resonance of radical pairs in biological qubits, and any future qubit resonance in the GHz range. Live cell imaging with simultaneous biological and solid state nanoparticle qubits in the same cell demonstrates the power of this technique for multiplexed quantum sensing. We anticipate this approach will open new opportunities for researchers to explore quantum sensing in live cells, and, ultimately, entanglement between a solid-state qubit and a protein-hosted spin qubit.
The study of quantum mechanics, together with the ability to coherently control and manipulate quantum systems in the lab has led to a myriad of discoveries and real world applications. In this thesis we present experiments demonstrating precise control of an individual long-lived spin qubit as well as sensing applications for biology and investigation of quantum many-body dynamics.\n\nStable quantum bits, capable both of storing quantum information for macroscopic time scales and of integration inside small portable devices, are an essential building block for an array of potential applications. In the second chapter of this thesis we demonstrate high-fidelity control of a solid-state qubit, which preserves its polarization for several minutes and features coherence lifetimes exceeding 1 second at room temperature.\n\nSensitive probing of temperature variations on nanometer scales is an outstanding challenge in many areas of modern science and technology. In chapter three we show how nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond can be used as a robust, high sensitivity temperature probe. We furthermore demonstrate biological compatibility by introducing nano-sized diamonds into living cells and measuring externally induced sub-cellular temperature gradients.\n\nUnderstanding the dynamics of interacting many-body quantum systems with on-site potential disorder has proven one of the biggest challenges in quantum physics to investigate both in theory and experiment. In chapter four we demonstrate how coherent control techniques can be utilized to probe the many-body dynamics of a strongly interacting NV spin ensemble. Specifically, we show how a long-range interacting dipolar spin system exhibits characteristically slow thermalization in the presence of tunable disorder.\n\nThe presented works offer up many new areas to investigate, including complex quantum many-body effects of large, disordered spin systems, as well as applications of NV centers as bio-compatible nano-scale temperature probes.
• A technical monograph on quantum biology, synthesizing an extensive 161 pages and 1,754 references, has been published on the arXiv repository. • Establishes a unified theoretical framework based on 'open quantum systems' for fragmented quantum biology research, including exciton coherence in photosynthesis, biological electron transfer, and microtubule vibrations. • Connects microscopic quantum phenomena with macroscopic biological processes, providing an essential and comprehensive guide for the future development of nanomedicine and innovative biotechnology. [Quantum Biology Society] A technical monograph perfectly synthesizing the vast history and physical principles of Quantum Biology, which investigates the origins of life phenomena from a quantum mechanical perspective, has been published, drawing significant attention from the academic community. Recently, "Physical Principles of Quantum Biology," co-authored by Dr. Nathan S. Babcock and Brandy N. Babcock, was released on the preprint repository arXiv. This document, the result of analyzing 1,754 cited references over 161 pages, provides a fundamental and unified foundation for quantum biology to move beyond fragmented curiosity and establish itself as a firm modern scientific discipline. ■ A 'Unified Framework' Binding Fragmented Research Together Until now, individual research in quantum biology has exploded across various topics, such as exciton coherence in photosynthesis, magnetic field sensing in birds (radical pair mechanism), ultraweak photon emission, and quantum vibrations in microtubules. However, the academic barrier to entry was high due to the lack of a unified theoretical framework or textbook penetrating the entire field, and there was no clear consensus even among researchers regarding the academic scope of quantum biology. To solve this problem, this monograph deeply illuminated living organisms as 'open quantum systems' that constantly exchange energy and information with their environment. It presents a new physical framework that goes beyond the limitations of conventional closed and isolated quantum mechanics. In particular, moving past phenomena based on simple electrostatic models, it strictly classified and defined how the non-trivial quantum coherence and entanglement of biomolecules enable the dynamical functions of life. ■ A New Horizon for Disease Treatment and Nanomedicine The latter half of the book intensively explores how these quantum biological principles can be practically applied to medicine and biotechnology in the future. The researchers conducted an in-depth analysis of quantum spin control of intracellular mitochondria and reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as cell signaling systems utilizing the optical and electromagnetic vibrations of microtubules. Based on this, they covered a wide range of clinical and technological possibilities leading to photodynamic therapy, electromagnetic field therapy, and regenerative medicine of cells and tissues. The fact that living organisms do not lose quantum effects even in so-called warm, wet, and noisy harsh environments, but rather actively utilize them to achieve high-efficiency information processing and energy conversion, provides crucial inspiration for designing artificial photosynthetic devices, quantum sensors, and nano-bio hybrid materials in the future. Through this literature, the authors define that 'quantum biology goes beyond the limits of isolated quantum systems to ask how life phenomena ultimately operate in complex environments'. They emphasized that "it will be a key guide not only for academic researchers but also for medical technologists, biochemists, and physicists to rigorously understand the quantum foundation of life and develop it into practical nano-bio application technologies".
Abstract Quantum sensing (QS) is a rapidly developing field at the intersection of physics, biology, and nanotechnology. It holds great promise for improving how we detect biomolecules in health, diagnostics, and environmental monitoring, and this potential is reflected in the rapid development and growing interest in advanced biosensing technologies. Traditional sensing methods, while useful, often face limits in sensitivity, speed, and the ability to analyze tiny amounts or subtle changes in biomolecules. QS uses coherence, entanglement, and superposition to achieve much higher sensitivity and precision than classical techniques. These technologies rely on advanced platforms like nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamonds, quantum dots. They can measure tiny changes in magnetic fields, electric charges, or fluorescence signals caused by biomolecules like proteins, DNA, lipids, carbohydrates and metabolites. This review explains the fundamental principles behind QS and explores how various physical platforms are used to detect and study biomolecules. It highlights recent breakthroughs in detecting single molecules, monitoring enzymatic reactions in real time, and imaging biological structures with quantum-level detail. We also discuss how nanotechnology is powering the field, improving integration through nanoparticle coupling, microfluidics, and specialized bio interfaces to target and amplify signals in practical settings. This review discusses current efforts to overcome existing challenges and highlights future directions, including the development of quantum-enhanced clinical sensors, integration with artificial intelligence for data analysis, and hybrid quantum–classical sensing strategies. These advances are expected to accelerate the translation of quantum biosensing technologies from laboratory demonstrations to practical clinical and environmental applications in the coming decade.
Quantum optical sensing has evolved from isolated solid state spin defect platforms to increasingly bio-integrated systems designed for biomedical applications. This review presents a perspective on this transition, spanning nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond to emerging fluorescent protein based spin qubits. Advances in diamond fabrication have enabled photonic cavities, nanomechanical resonators, and microstructured devices that enhance spin photon interactions and room temperature sensitivity. Exploration of spin defects in alternative materials further expands the sensing landscape. Parallel progress toward biological compatibility includes chip based architectures for in vitro and in vivo studies, microfluidic integration, and minimally invasive nanodiamond probes capable of intracellular nanothermometry and nanorheometry. Improvements in surface functionalization have enhanced coherence and sensing reliability in complex environments. Collectively, these advances highlight the progress and remaining challenges toward application oriented quantum sensing for the life sciences.