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A research project by the Medical Center – University of Freiburg and the University of Strasbourg is developing new imaging techniques for early diagnosis

Serious diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer’s often begin long before the first symptoms appear. In this early stage, biochemical processes in the body undergo changes that are usually still invisible to conventional imaging techniques. Researchers at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg and the University of Strasbourg are now collaborating on a new method that could detect such processes earlier: In the QUANTUM-PRECISION project, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is being enhanced using quantum mechanical techniques so that even weak metabolic processes become visible and disease processes can be characterized more precisely. 

“With quantum-enhanced MRI, we could, for the first time, visualize processes that occur at the very onset of a disease and have previously remained hidden. For patients, this would offer the opportunity to receive significantly more targeted treatment,” says study leader Dr. Andreas Schmidt, a physicist at the Department of Radiology at the Medical Center – University of Freiburg.

Making molecules visible—before tissue is damaged

Conventional MRI primarily shows the structures of organs and tissues. However, early disease processes occur at the molecular level—such as changes in sugar or energy metabolism. This is where QUANTUM-PRECISION comes in: Using a quantum technology-based method known as hyperpolarization, certain metabolic molecules such as pyruvate or lactate are placed outside the body into a state where they emit a significantly amplified MRI signal.

After injection, it is possible to track how these molecules are processed in the body. Tumor cells, for example, produce particularly high levels of lactate, while in Alzheimer’s disease, cellular energy metabolism is disrupted. Such patterns could help in the future to detect diseases much more precisely and better monitor the success of therapies.

From the Research Lab to Clinical Application

The QUANTUM-PRECISION project is part of the science initiative of the Trinational Upper Rhine Metropolitan Region. It is co-funded by the European Union (Interreg Upper Rhine program), the Grand Est region, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts, and the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science and Health. The technology is currently in the preclinical phase. In the next steps, it will be further developed and tested for clinical applications.