UChicago receives $21 million to establish visionary center in quantum engineering and health

(Press-News.org) A $21 million gift from philanthropist Thea Berggren to the University of Chicago will establish the Berggren Center for Quantum Biology and Medicine, launching a bold scientific field that merges quantum technology with biology to transform the future of medicine.

This pioneering, interdisciplinary effort seeks to harness the power of quantum engineering — capable of the most sensitive measurements known to science — to peer inside the human body in unprecedented ways. The goal is to unlock insights into biology and disease that were previously out of reach, paving the way for new diagnostics and therapies.

“The establishment of the Berggren Center reflects a commitment to a powerful idea: that the deepest scientific insights often emerge when we bring distinct disciplines together in bold new ways,” said President Paul Alivisatos. “Combining quantum engineering with medicine, the work of the Center stands to transform our understanding of health and disease.”

The Berggren Center will be housed within the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) and draw on the University’s renowned strengths in quantum science, biomedical research and clinical care.

“UChicago is a global leader in quantum science, engineering and medicine. The Berggren Center will bring together faculty from across the University to create a new frontier in patient care,” said Nadya Mason, Dean of the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Interim Vice President for Science, Innovation and Partnerships at the University of Chicago. “We are deeply grateful to Thea Berggren for her visionary investment in human health.”

The center is founded on two core objectives: to drive the development of revolutionary quantum tools for biomedical application, and to cultivate a new generation of “bilingual scholars” fluent in both disciplines — scientists and engineers capable of translating quantum advances into clinical solutions. The gift will fund fellowships to train interdisciplinary scholars, seed technical development projects and host global conferences to build international community around quantum biology and medicine.

UChicago researchers already are at the forefront of this work. For example, Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering Peter Maurer, Professor of Medicine Alexander T. Pearson and Immunoengineering Professor Aaron Esser-Kahn are collaborating on quantum-enabled identifiers to observe individual immune cells in real time. This technology could one day monitor thousands of cells simultaneously, offering new insights into inflammation and cancer—and enabling more precise, personalized treatment.

“By drawing on UChicago Medicine’s strengths in biomedical research and clinical care, the center will help ensure quantum breakthroughs move from bench to bedside,” said Mark Anderson, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the UChicago Biological Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Medicine. “Also, through innovative training programs, including a quantum-focused pathway for current and future physician-scientists, the Center begins to build a workforce that can continually look for new ways of diagnosing and treating disease.”

The Berggren Center will be co-directed by Greg Engel, professor at UChicago PME and the Department of Chemistry, and Julian Solway, Professor of Medicine and founding director of the Institute for Translational Medicine.

Engel and Solway have long collaborated through the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Quantum Sensing for Biophysics and Bioengineering (QuBBE), which aims to develop quantum imaging tools that exceed classical limits. The center will build on this foundation, focusing on accelerating clinical impact.

“Fusing quantum physics and medicine is no small feat, but it opens the door to tools and discoveries we never thought possible,” said Engel, whose research focuses on new strategies to observe, measure and control excited state reactivity and quantum dynamics. “This gift will help unite two very different scientific cultures in a common mission to improve human health.”

Solway, whose career has focused on building collaborative frameworks to accelerate medical discovery, added: “The Berggren Center represents the next frontier in translational science. By bringing together quantum physicists, engineers and clinicians, we’re creating a new scientific language with the potential to transform how we understand and treat disease.”

Berggren’s generous commitment includes both endowed funds for long-term sustainability and funding for current support.

“During a visit to the Atacama Desert, I engaged with astronomers from around the world, and all were inspired by how quantum mechanics is shaping the future. That moment sparked a different question: What if we applied the same quantum principles to cellular physiology and pathology? The potential to transform medicine and how we understand and treat disease is extraordinary, and the University of Chicago is the ideal place to bring this vision to life,” said Berggren.

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