MIstiQU-MED is an ERC Proof of Concept project led by Quentin Glorieux at Sorbonne Université. It explores whether atomic quantum sensing and ultrasound can be combined to reveal functional changes in tissue that may appear before clear morphological changes become visible with conventional imaging.
Many medical-imaging techniques primarily reveal anatomy. MIstiQU-MED investigates a complementary measurement channel based on tissue’s electrical response, with the long-term ambition of contributing to earlier and more accessible detection.
The project brings together two non-ionising technologies: ultrasound for spatially selective excitation and a room-temperature atomic magnetometer for highly sensitive readout. The goal of the Proof of Concept is to determine whether this combination can form the basis of a compact functional-imaging instrument.
The 18-month project focuses on laboratory validation. It will:
MIstiQU-MED does not involve patients or claim clinical diagnostic performance at this stage. Its purpose is to establish whether the underlying measurement concept is sufficiently robust to justify further translational development.
MIstiQU-MED builds on expertise developed through the MISTiQ-Light ERC project: coherent control of warm atomic vapours, precision optical readout and wavefront engineering. The Proof of Concept transfers this quantum-optics toolbox towards a new biomedical context.
Because the project includes potentially protectable technology, this public description deliberately presents the scientific motivation and validation goals without disclosing the detailed instrument architecture, signal-processing methods or performance targets.
MIstiQU-MED appears in the official ERC list of selected Proof of Concept projects.