From Diamond Defects to Quantum Biomedical Sensors

Quantum technologies are transforming measurement with unprecedented sensitivity and spatial resolution, opening new tools for biochemistry and medicine. Quantum sensors can detect weak biological signals at the nanoscale from DNA to single cells. Recent advances in diamond quantum sensors, particularly nitrogen‑vacancy (NV) centers, enable scientists to probe nanoscale biomolecular interactions, observe local dynamics in living cells, and resolve individual biomolecules. In this talk, we will discuss the engineering of quantum biosensors, demonstrate their use in biochemical research, and explore their potential medical applications.

Massively parallel, label-free detection on diamond surfaces has been limited by the absence of suitable chemical and fabrication architectures. We created microarrays of functionalized sites on diamond substrates that support direct measurement of target chemical interactions, such as DNA-binding events based on T1 relaxometry, enabling in situ diagnostic and metabolomic applications.

Nanodiamonds (NDs) are promising nanoprobes for tracking intracellular processes, but obtaining stable measurements in the complex intracellular environment is challenging. Using the engineered core–shell structure, our NDs exhibit longer coherence times, lower cytotoxicity, and robustness to surface charge depletion, enabling their use as nano‑reporters in living cells for immunological studies.

The advancement of NV centers is driving the miniaturization of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy toward single biomolecule. Historically, controlling NV centers at high magnetic fields (>10 T) has been challenging, limiting spectral resolution in NV‑based NMR. We achieved quantum control at 14 T and integrated the platform with microfluidics, resolving spectra from microscale samples with chemical resolution, paving the way for high‑throughput analytics, single‑cell metabolomics, drug discovery, and beyond.

By advancing the modalities, stability, and integration of diamond quantum sensors, we are moving quantum sensing from the laboratory to real‑world medical applications.