Cells engineered to produce biological qubit open new quantum frontier

Researchers at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have achieved a first-of-its-kind breakthrough by programming living cells to build functional protein qubits.

These quantum bits, created from naturally occurring proteins, can detect signals thousands of times stronger than existing quantum sensors.

The interdisciplinary team, led by co-investigators David Awschalom and Peter Maurer, used a protein similar to the fluorescent marker.

Cells can position it at atomic precision and be employed as a quantum sensor within biological environments.

The findings, published in Nature, suggest this bio-integrated sensor could enable nanoscale MRI to reveal cellular structures like never before and inspire new quantum materials.

However, this advance marks a shift from adapting quantum tools to entering biological systems toward harnessing nature as a quantum platform.

The researchers demonstrated that living systems can overcome the noisy, warm environments that usually hinder quantum technology. The broader implication is a hybrid future in which cells carry out life’s functions and behave as quantum instruments for scientific discovery.

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