Measuring Cells at Quantum Scale

Quantum Nuova

A technology for biomedical research to discover the role of oxidative stress in health conditions

Prolonged oxidative stress harms cells, proteins, and DNA, accelerating aging and contributing to various health conditions. Monitoring cell (or living organisms) responses to oxidative stress in real-time is challenging. These challenges are met with Quantum Nuova, a technology that has been thoroughly utilized at University Medical Center Groningen in Netherlands.

Quantum Nuova, a diagnostic and research tool, integrates diamond magnetometry and confocal microscopy to measure free radicals in stressed cells.

Proof of Impact

Quantum Nuova has been used to measure free radicals at nanomolar level and at sub-cellular resolution in a single cell. This precise engineering has enabled solutions to poor health conditions due to prolonged oxidative stress in cells.

  • The Quantum Nuova technology provides insights into acetaminophen-induced liver toxicity by localizing free radical production within cells. It has been applied to study antibiotic effects on bacteria, demonstrating the potential for advancing drug resistance research.

  • By measuring free radicals, insights into the dynamics of oxidative stress are provided. Relaxometry confirmed increased free radicals in cells with zinc exposure. The findings suggest zinc's dual role as both protective and harmful, depending on concentration, underscoring the need to understand its cellular impacts fully. The Quantum Nuova provides the method to research into the balancing of oxidative stress and antioxidant production.

  • The Quantum Nuova’s diamond-based technique has differentiated between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis in patient samples, revealing drug effects like piroxicam on reducing free radicals. The findings indicate a significant reduction in free radicals in OA patients but not in RA patients, suggesting a reason why piroxicam is more effective for OA than RA.

  • The Quantum Nuova allows for investigation of oxidative stress in semen, uniquely detecting free radicals in real-time. Current research utilizing relaxometry has pinpointed NOX5 as the principal source of radical generation during the capacitation process of boar sperm cells, highlighting a lesser role for mitochondrial oxidoreductase. Investigations into free radical generation in human sperm and any connection to male fertility are currently underway.

  • Functionalized fluorescent nanodiamonds can efficiently penetrate cells, delivering cancer drugs directly into HeLa cells while ensuring a sustained release of the drug over 72 hours, significantly longer than the drug alone. This methodology not only facilitates drug delivery but also allows for the direct measurement of the drug's impact on free radical generation at the site of release, providing insights into the cellular response at a nanoscale level with subcellular resolution.

Emerging Applications

The Quantum Nuova aims to advance diamond-based qubit technology by characterizing NV centers' positioning and coherence time, facilitating automated, high-throughput quality testing for engineering and final quality control.

PARTNERS & AWARDS

TESTIMONIALS

  • "Using relaxometry, we were able to quantify free radical generation in dendritic cells in real time."

    Prof. Geert van den Boogart (Department of Molecular Immunology, UMCG)

  • "The technology behind QT Sense is a great asset for the characterization of nanodiamond particles and optimize them towards sensing applications"

    Dr. Olga Shenderova (CEO, Adamas Nanotechnologies, USA)

  • "Relaxometry is an incredible tool which allowed cell’s stress responses to be measured with an unprecedented nanoscale resolution such that we could see the stress reactions of individual organelles."

    Dr. Mayeul Chipaux, EPF Lausanne

  • "Relaxometry enabled us to assess cell viability in liver slices with nanoscale resolution."

    Prof. Peter Olinga (Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, RUG)

  • "Using QTsense technology allowed us to differentiate between stress responses in different organelles of granulosa cells."

    Prof. Annemieke Hoek (Department head, Center for reproductive medicine, UMCG)

FAQ

PRODUCT

  • Nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers are nitrogen atoms and an adjacent vacancy, which replace carbon atoms in diamonds. Diamonds with such defects are called fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs). The NV centers can be exploited to perform quantum measurements. The fluorescence from excited NV centers can be measured to detect surrounding magnetic field resonances (magnetic noise) with high sensitivity and spatial resolution.

  • Functionalized nanodiamonds are carefully introduced into cells. The NV centers interact with the magnetic field inside the sample. To perform a measurement, the NV center is pumped into an excited state using a green laser and the time that it takes to return to the ground state is recorded by detecting the photons released by fluorescence. This relaxation time is directly influenced by the magnetic noise in the system, which is a measurement of the concentration of free radicals in the cell. This technique is called T1 Relaxometry.

  • This approach is valuable because it allows for localized, non-invasive measurements of free radicals within living cells without the need for external markers or dyes, which can affect cell viability or introduce measurement biases. T1 relaxometry's ability to detect free radicals down to nanomolar concentrations and its application across various biological contexts (e.g., drug delivery, research) underscores its potential to advance our understanding of cellular dynamics and disease mechanisms.

  • Using quantum sensing in the form of diamond magnetometry allows you to take measurements of extremely sensitive nanoscale magnetic noise, otherwise near impossible to detect. Analogously to T1 measurements in conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), relaxometry allows the detection of different concentrations of paramagnetic species. In this way you can recreate an MRI with subcellular resolution.

  • The confocal microscope is primarily used to localize the functionalized nanodiamonds that have been injected into the cell for quantum sensing. Once the location is known, the nanodiamonds can be pumped into an excited state by the laser to be used for quantum sensing. It can also be used to image the cells.

  • The Quantum Nuova is fully enclosed so the user has no interaction with the laser light, inner electronics, or alignment. Furthermore, a cell incubator can be attached for samples requiring specific conditions. The instrument is safe to use in an environment adhering to standard laboratory rules.

APPLICATIONS

  • Diamond magnetometry can be used to monitor drug efficacy. Furthermore, Diamond magnetometry can provide insights into oxidative stress, which can damage cells and proteins and cause aging of the cells. Hence, research can be done on the role of oxidative stress in diseases, which is already assumed to play a role in diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. The technique can also contribute to the development of new, non-invasive imaging for diagnosing and monitoring various conditions.

  • Controlled parameters: Laser power, Detection window (detection filter), Laser pulse duration, Detection window duration, Minimum, maximum and number of the dark times, Repetition number

    Measured parameters: Time gated photon counting

    You can adjust the sensitivity of the detected signals by customizing the detectors and filter sets for the ultra high signal to noise ratio options. The choice of objective lens allows for the use of different sample types.

  • One of the key advantages of using fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) is their biocompatibility, allowing them to be introduced into living organisms or cells without causing harm. Moreover, FNDs can be functionalized with specific biomolecules, enabling targeted delivery to distinct types of cells or biological structures. This specificity ensures that measurements are localized and relevant to the area of interest, such as cancerous tissues or sites of infection, enhancing precision . Finally, detection is also non-invasive as the nanodiamonds are probed with precisely aligned lasers and the fluorescence emitted by the nanodiamonds is detected through photon detectors.

  • Sensitivity refers to the method's ability to accurately detect the presence of free radicals, even at low concentrations. Specificity refers to the ability of the instrument to distinguish between different sources of variation, in essence describing the varying sources of the free radical generations within the cell.

  • T1 Relaxometry to study oxadative stress can be applied to live samples which makes the microscope is highly suitable for biomedical applications. Current studied samples include aqueous solutions of different chemicals, cell lines (eg. bacteria, yeast, sperm cells, cancer cells, epithelial cells), primary cells (eg. immune cells, lung cells), liver tissue and synovial fluid.

  • The Quantum Nuova can be used for both live and fixed samples. To measure stress responses, diamond magnetometry can only be used on live samples. You can use the technique on fixed samples to measure other properties, such as the concentration of gadolinium in a solution. Check out the applications for further information.

PURCHASE

  • To purchase our products, you can customize your instrument and directly submit the request by following this link.

  • The base product serves as the foundation of the microscope, including the main instrument's skeleton, ensuring every purchase is equipped with the core functionalities necessary for operation. Optionals are additional attachments that enhance the base product to suit particular applications; they are not included in the base product's price and can be purchased separately as per your requirements. Consumables are essential for conducting experiments but are used up in the process. Our microscope utilizes fluorescent nanodiamonds, provided in well plates, microscope slides, or petri dishes.

  • Our standard warranty policy covers the product for 12 months from the date of purchase. This warranty ensures that the product is free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use. To extend this warranty, you can check out the after sales services.

  • Yes, we provide testing services for our products. For inquiries regarding testing services, please reach out to our general contact form, and we will direct your inquiry accordingly.

  • We offer a minimum of 12 month leasing of Quantum Nuova for customers in the USA and Europe. For specific details on price, please reach out to our sales team directly.

  • Our standard delivery term is 180 days from accepting the purchase order, which may vary depending on the optionals, consumables and your location. For precise delivery information regarding your order, please consult with our sales team at the time of purchase. We strive to ensure prompt and reliable delivery of our products to our customers.