Impact of Quantum Processes in Reactive Oxygen Species Molecular and Cellular Redox Biology

A major challenge in modern science is understanding how tiny molecular events shape the complex behavior of entire living cells. Bridging the gap between the molecular and cellular worlds remains a central goal in understanding how biology works across scales. This research explores whether fundamental quantum characteristics of electrons can guide important biological processes, including metabolism and cellular balance. Electrons carry a quantum property known as spin, and during specific biochemical reactions, two electrons can become linked in a quantum state called a radical pair. This project investigates how certain enzymes in cells may use these radical pairs to influence the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), highly active molecules involved in metabolism, signaling, and cellular stress responses. By combining advanced magnetic resonance techniques, high-resolution microscopy, molecular biology, and cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI), the project seeks to observe and analyze how these quantum processes operate inside living cells. This research could lead to a deeper understanding of how cells manage energy and stress, key factors in health, aging, and disease, and may inspire future technologies that monitor biological outcomes through quantum-based sensing. This project will also advance education by offering a graduate course that integrates quantum fundamentals across disciplines, preparing students for cutting-edge STEM careers. Additionally, we will expand outreach through a summer program introducing local high school students to quantum concepts, AI, and hands-on making, as part of Florida Tech’s CRAFT center, which fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and computational expertise across campus. This research aims to uncover how spin-dependent radical pairs in flavoenzymes regulate ROS production at the molecular level, with downstream effects on cellular redox biology. The project will pursue this goal through three key aims: (1) manipulating quantum processes in a recombinant flavin enzyme model to influence ROS product yields, (2) measuring ROS production and cell behavior under quantum-active conditions, and (3) applying AI and machine learning to optimize experimental control and data analysis. Together, this work defines a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach that bridges quantum spin chemistry, cell biology, and AI to reveal how quantum processes drive oxidative signaling in living systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.