Non-invasive bio-sensing assisted by quantum technology

研究背景：糖尿病目前影响着全球约4.22亿人，2012年报告了150万例死亡。尽管其流行，目前的治疗仅限于频繁的血糖监测和饮食调节，全天严格控制胰岛素的量。这意味着血糖测量的频率越高，血糖管理的效果就越好。不幸的是，测量血糖水平的最佳方法之一是通过直接血液测试，当每天进行多次时，这是一种确保血糖和胰岛素调节的痛苦和不方便的方法。利兹大学的量子测量和量子计量学项目旨在建立一种新的传感设备，用于通过皮肤非侵入性地检测血糖浓度。传感原理是在以前的研究中建立的，并受专利保护。量子光学模型，以提高基于光子芯片的传感器技术的灵敏度和选择性，并设计实验来测试这些模型是本项目的主要目标。我将在这个项目中与量子物理和光子学专家密切合作。该项目的一个重要部分是传感器材料的制造，该材料基本上是二氧化硅玻璃上的稀土离子原子层。我将使用超快激光等离子体为基础的制造工艺来实现这一目标，并优化它的传感。此外，我将尝试通过光子相关测量来提高上述量子生物传感器的性能，并探讨该器件的进一步可能的应用。建立初步的理论量子光学概念，并将其预测与已有的实验数据进行比较。2.完善初始理论模型，并进行二阶光子相关函数的测量，以更深入地了解生物传感器的机理及其性能.设计基于光子相关测量的新型量子增强生物传感方案，并将其应用于葡萄糖分子潜在的应用和益处：基于新型光子芯片的非侵入性葡萄糖传感器的任何改进都将有益于依赖日常手指针刺的糖尿病患者。我将成为一个多学科的工业大学团队的一员，参与非侵入式传感器的开发。我的研究所取得的进步将为满足可穿戴和医疗设备市场的无创葡萄糖传感器带来新的产品设计。我将与医学与健康学院密切合作，作为我的传感器测试策略开发的一部分。这项研究将在光与生物分子相互作用领域提供新的物理学，可以使用量子光学模型来描述。这些理论研究的结果，我的目标是发表在顶级国际同行评审期刊，如物理评论A/物理评论快报。量子光学传感器的先进实验结果在考虑知识产权保护后，将适合在Nature Photonics和Journal of Biophotonics等期刊上发表。我还打算在Photonics West，CLEO US/EU等顶级光子学会议上展示我的成果。开发的方法将适用于通过皮肤感测许多其他生物分子/制造商，并将具有广泛的医疗保健和经济效益。

Context of research:Diabetes currently affects roughly 422 million people worldwide with 1.5 million deaths reported in 2012. Despite its prevalence, current treatments are limited to frequent glucose monitoring and dietary regulation with tightly controlled amounts of insulin to be admitted throughout the day. This means that the more frequently blood glucose is measured, the better it can be managed. Unfortunately, one of the best ways to measure glucose levels is through direct blood testing, which when performed multiple times a day is a painful and inconvenient method of ensuring blood glucose and insulin regulation. This project in quantum measurement and quantum metrology at the University of Leeds aims at establishing a new sensing device for the detection of blood glucose concentrations through the skin noninvasively. The principle of sensing is established in a previous research and protected by patents. Quantum optical models to enhance the sensitivity and selectivity of the photonic chip based sensor technique and to design the experiments to test these models are the main objectives of this project. I will be working closely with Quantum Physics and Photonics experts in this project. An important part of the project is fabrication of sensor materials which is essentially atomic layers of rare earth ions on a silica glass. I will use anultrafast laser plasma based manufacturing process to achieve this and optimising it for sensing. Moreover, I will try to enhance the performance of the above quantum bio-sensor through photon correlation measurements and to look into further possible applications of the device.Aims and Objectives:1. Build preliminary theoretical quantum optic concepts and to compare their predictions with already available experimental data. 2. Refining the initial theoretical models and carry out measurements of second order photon correlation functions to obtain more insight into the mechanisms of the bio-sensor and its performance.3. Design novel quantum-enhanced biosensing schemes based on photon correlation measurements and apply that for glucose molecules Potential applications and benefits:Any improvements in the novel photonic chip based non-invasive glucose sensor will be beneficial to people with diabetes who rely on daily finger pricking. I will be part of a multidisciplinary industry- university team involved in the non-invasive sensor development. Improvements achieved with my research will lead to new product designs for noninvasive glucose sensor that meets both wearable and medical devices market. I will be working closely with School of Medicine and Health as part of my sensor testing strategy development. The research will provide new physics in the areas of light -biomolecule interaction which can be described using quantum optical models. Results of these theoretical research I will aim to publish in top international peer reviewed journals such as Physical Review A/Physical Review Letters. Advanced experimental results on quantum optical sensor will be suitable for publication in journals such Nature Photonics and Journal of Biophotonics after considering IP protection. I am also aiming to present my results are top photonics conferences such as Photonics West, CLEO US/EU. The methodology developed will be applicable sensing many other biomolecules/makers through skin and will have wide reaching healthcare and economic benefits.