In 1944, Erwin Schrödinger asked the question, “What is life?” In his book of the same title, Schrödinger posited that the very quantum principles that direct the behaviors of objects at the level of the universe, such as quantum entanglement, superposition, and electron tunneling also apply within the physical boundaries of living organisms. Historically, quantum phenomena were thought to exist only at temperatures approaching absolute zero. However, accumulating evidence over the past two decades indicates that the quantum world persists within the warm and wet environment of living functional tissues. For instance, quantum tunneling has been proposed to be involved in enzymatic reactions, olfaction, and DNA mutations; quantum coherence in photosynthesis; and quantum entanglement in avian migration. And yet, to date, a mechanistic understanding into how quantum phenomena prevail and affect cellular functioning, is lacking. Our laboratory is developing organ-on-a-chip models to interrogate the impact of quantum phenomena on biological processes, including the wound healing cascade. Looking forward, we anticipate that exploring into the quantum realm of life has the potential to direct next generation of advanced medical technologies.

Primary investigators: Dr. Fabrisia Ambrosio (Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) and Dr. David Pekker (Dept. of Physics and Astronomy)

Collaborators:

• David Pekker, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, USA
• Michael Hatridge, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, USA
• David Waldeck, PhD, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, USA
• Sunil Saxena, PhD, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, USA
• Warren C. Ruder, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, USA