On the way towards a breakthrough in cardiac metabolic MR imaging

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally: more people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause. Therefore, it is necessary to develop personalized medical solutions to improve the chances of curing patients. In order to do so, the metabolic process of heart tissue needs to be understood and observed on a molecular level.

The Quantum Flagship project MetaboliQs combines diamond-based nuclear spin manipulations and medical imaging to foster the understanding of bio-molecular metabolisms and therefore improve personalized health care. After one year of research, the interdisciplinary and multi-national research consortium can look back on a number of successful milestones, with great promise towards reaching the goal of the project: a novel diamond polarizer that is able to work at room temperature with a 160-times higher efficiency, offering a polarization that is 40-times faster and 4-times cheaper than before to achieve a better diagnostics of cardiovascular diseases. By those means, quantum technology is being utilized for human needs.

After 12 months into the MetaboliQs research and development activities, all deliverables as well as milestones have been submitted in time. With the success of the first year, the project partners have a very positive outlook into the future. As results unfold, the consortium enters into scientific exchange with the public as well as with specialists in the fields. Close collaborations with other research projects in the European Quantum Flagship have also been established, especially with the Quantum Flagship project AsteriQs. Both projects will organize a joint summer school on Quantum Sensors in Cargese, Corse, in fall 2020.

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