7 October 2024

Quantum sensor technology for cancer monitoring wins Medical Valley Award

Researchers from the group of Dominik Bucher, Professor of Quantum Sensor Technology at TUM and MCQST member, have developed a new method for the optical detection of MRI signals using diamond-based quantum sensors. In collaboration with the hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, the researchers now want to make their method applicable for clinical use in the field of cancer monitoring, for which they have received the Medical Valley Award. The team received financial support of €500.000 as well as personalized guidance and expertise from the Medical Valley network.

"The Medical Valley Award is a significant milestone for us. It enables us to bring our technology out of the quantum physics laboratory and into clinical application, which significantly accelerates our development and – with a bit of work – we believe that we can make a real impact. We are deeply grateful for the support and trust placed in us by Medical Valley and the Free State of Bavaria." - Robin Allert, PhD candidated part of the QuLiBi team.

QuLiBi uses quantum sensor technology to develop an innovative liquid biopsy technology for cancer monitoring. Currently, therapy successes are often only monitored after three to six months, which can lead to delayed adjustments and suboptimal treatment outcomes. QuLiBi aims to significantly shorten these monitoring intervals and enable precise monitoring of cancer therapy within a few days. 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 the 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.

Congratulations to the entire team!