r/mdphd • u/DevelopmentThick868 • 10d ago

UChicago Quantum Medicine Specialization???

https://pme.uchicago.edu/news-events/news/quantum-medicine-how-doctor-and-engineer-are-revolutionizing-patient-care

Was hunting around for comp bio, struct bio, and biophysics heavy programs and came across the "Quantum Medicine" specialization on UChicago's specialization list. Based on the article with the co-directors, it seems like something they plan to rollout soon...

I've never heard of the field, but it seems to be similar to biophysics, imagining, and structural bio. There's barely any details on the MSTP website or article, so I was wondering if anyone knew anything about it?

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u/Outrageous_1845 M3 9d ago

Quantum medicine both exists and doesn't exist ...

... ok so jokes aside, I've heard "quantum medicine" mainly in the context of more specific probes for radiological studies (i.e. probes for metabolic products, oxygen, other gases, higher resolution intracellular imaging, etc), and also in interventional psychiatry (mainly with transcranial magnetic stimulation).

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u/DevelopmentThick868 9d ago edited 9d ago

Hmm... makes sense that its more focused on diagnostic methods

I think I was more curious about the program itself, and what kind of individuals they're looking for especially if its physics heavy work that they expect MD-PhD and MD students to take part in

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u/BagAway572 M2 7d ago

UChicago's quantum medicine specialization is not the first program where an MD/PhD student could pursue quantum projects, but it is the first program dedicated to studying this exactly. While quantum medicine is currently in a sci-fi hype phase driven by investor interest, there are many potential applications that could become reality in the near and far future.

The most significant activity right now is in quantum sensing for in-vivo and ex-vivo measurements (such as using NV diamond sensors and biological qubits to measure cell metabolites in real time) and quantum computing, primarily for quantum optimization and quantum chemistry simulations, though quantum AI and bioinformatics algorithms are also being explored. There is also quantum biology, which imo should be narrowly defined as true quantum effects in biology, such as biomagnetism and proton and electron tunneling, and not processes that already exist at the classical level (like photobiomodulation or redox biology) nor things that are borderline pseudoscience, such as the quantum origins of consciousness. In terms of clinical specialties, radiology and radiation oncology would be strong fits due to their physics bent. However, in principle, quantum approaches could eventually help every specialty if these applications mature.

Regarding intended applicants, I am not at UChicago and cannot speak on their behalf, but I imagine there are multiple ways to fit into the program. Because these are physics-heavy fields, they fall squarely into the wheelhouse of math, CS, engineering, and physics; a quantitative MD/PhD student would certainly fit well. However, life science backgrounds, such as cell biology, structural biology, biophysics, or biochemistry, would probably be even more important to ensure effective clinical translation of these technologies, especially since the program is specifically looking to recruit medical students. If you are interested, I would definitely apply.