The centerpiece of this annual contest involved promising early-career scientists proposing pioneering pilot studies aimed at deconstructing the complex biological and cognitive mechanisms underlying brain health across the lifespan. Finalists presented their research concepts in a dynamic, Shark Tank-style competition, where real-time audience voting determined grant recipients from a pool of high-caliber projects. This innovative format fosters a collaborative atmosphere, blending scientific rigor with interactive community engagement, thereby enhancing public investment in neuroscience research.

A key highlight of the 2025 awards was the Jennifer and Peter Roberts Visionary New Scientist Award, bestowed upon Anna Thompson. Her project focuses on elucidating the differential impacts of neurological cellular integrity on age-related brain changes, leveraging advanced neuroimaging and molecular biomarkers to map trajectories of neuronal health degradation. Thompson’s approach integrates functional and structural imaging modalities with cellular biochemistry to unravel the heterogeneity of aging processes in distinct neural substrates, potentially redefining early diagnostic criteria for cognitive decline.

Equally compelling was the Cindy and Charlie Feld Visionary New Scientist Award, granted to doctoral candidate Audrina Ebrahimi. Ebrahimi’s research converges on identifying biomarkers indicative of neurovascular health and their predictive power regarding cognitive functioning. By deploying longitudinal neuroimaging coupled with blood-based biomarker assays, her study aims to elucidate vascular contributions to dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions. This work signals a critical advancement toward multidisciplinary biomarker approaches, enhancing precision medicine strategies in neurology.

Maximilian Ciesla received the Maisie Heiken Visionary New Scientist Award for his investigation into adolescent brain development and its role in updating self-esteem based on social feedback. Situated within developmental social-affective neuroscience, his study employs cutting-edge functional MRI techniques to dissect neural circuitry associated with social cognition and emotional regulation during a critical period of plasticity. Through this lens, Ciesla’s work promises to inform early intervention protocols targeting mental health problems with roots in adolescent neurodevelopmental trajectories.

The Lyda Hill Philanthropies Visionary New Scientist Award honored Micaela Andreo for her project addressing nutrient delivery pathways in the brain — a hitherto underexplored axis in Alzheimer’s therapy. With a focus on neurovascular coupling and the blood-brain barrier, Andreo’s research leverages advanced neuropsychometric assessments combined with molecular analyses to identify therapeutic targets that could mitigate nutrient transport deficiencies in neurodegeneration. Having previously garnered the audience-choice award at the 2024 luncheon, Andreo’s continued exploration marks a significant contribution to translational Alzheimer’s research.

The contest also featured two additional finalists with promising proposals, underscoring the broad scientific scope of the event. Taesun Kim proposed an innovative study on adolescent self-compassion, investigating its neural and emotional correlates within a home-based intervention framework. This research aims to delineate the neurobiological underpinnings of self-compassion as a protective factor against mood disorders, employing neuroimaging and psychometric tools to validate intervention efficacy. Similarly, the team of Ashley Campos and Stephanie Rodriguez put forward a study titled “A Guiding Light to Mindfulness,” examining the role of mindfulness in mediating the transition from depression to resilience. Their multidisciplinary approach integrates theoretical frameworks from clinical psychology with neurophysiological measurements to unveil mechanisms through which mindfulness catalyzes neurocognitive adaptation.

The 2025 luncheon was particularly poignant as it highlighted the sustained generosity of Ramona Jones and her family, marking their third consecutive year of sponsorship. The celebration intertwined philanthropic commitment with a tribute to the power of lifestyle factors in promoting longevity and brain health. As Sandi Chapman, PhD, the Founder and Chief Director of BrainHealth, poignantly remarked, Jones embodies the “poster girl” for brain health, illustrating the profound effects of a brain-healthy lifestyle on life span and quality of cognitive function.

Moderating the event was Dan Krawczyk, PhD, Deputy Director of Research at BrainHealth, who facilitated panel discussions that bridged scientific discourse with public understanding. The event also attracted high-profile members of UT Dallas’s administration, including Adam J. Woods, PhD, Dean of the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, and several Vice Presidents, signifying institutional commitment to advancing brain health research and innovation.

The Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas, the event’s host institution, is a translational research powerhouse devoted to enhancing, preserving, and restoring cognitive function through cutting-edge neurobiological research and innovative therapeutics. Employing advanced functional and structural neuroimaging techniques, the Center elucidates the intricate neurobiology of cognition and emotion under both health and disease conditions. The translation of findings into practical brain performance strategies empowers individuals across the lifespan to harness cognitive potential and resilience.

Central to the Center’s approach is the BrainHealth Index, a proprietary metric uniquely capable of quantifying an individual’s holistic brain health trajectory. This innovative tool integrates multi-dimensional data to chart cognitive trends objectively and longitudinally, allowing researchers and clinicians to detect declines or improvements with precision. Complementing this is the Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™) program, a scientifically validated methodology designed to optimize cognitive strategies. Over three decades of rigorous research underpin this strategy-based training, which empowers participants to enhance memory, reasoning, and overall executive function.

The Ramona Jones Friends of BrainHealth Luncheon serves as a microcosm of the innovative frontier in brain science, demonstrating how collaborative investments in early career scientists can catalyze breakthroughs with far-reaching implications. From understanding the cellular substrates of aging and neurovascular health to leveraging cognitive and emotional interventions in adolescence and neurodegenerative diseases, the awarded studies embody a multi-faceted attack on some of neuroscience’s most pressing challenges. Through such community-engaged platforms, the future of brain health research continues to unfold with promise and vigor.

Subject of Research: Advances in brain health research focusing on neurobiology, cognitive aging, neurovascular biomarkers, adolescent brain development, Alzheimer’s disease, mindfulness, and emotional regulation interventions.

Article Title: Ramona Jones Friends of BrainHealth Luncheon Catalyzes Next-Generation Brain Science Innovation

News Publication Date: September 29, 2025

Web References:

• Center for BrainHealth: https://centerforbrainhealth.org/
• BrainHealth Index: https://centerforbrainhealth.org/science/brainhealth-index
• SMART™ Program: https://centerforbrainhealth.org/training/smart

Image Credits: Center for BrainHealth

Quantum biology and medicine is an emergent interdisciplinary field that seeks to exploit quantum phenomena for biomedical innovation. Traditional biology and medical diagnostics have largely operated within classical physical frameworks; however, the quantum scale introduces novel mechanisms and sensitivities that can reveal hitherto inaccessible biological dynamics. The Berggren Center intends to leverage advances in quantum sensing, imaging, and information processing to make extremely precise measurements at molecular and cellular levels, enabling the detection and characterization of disease states with unprecedented resolution and specificity.

At the heart of this initiative lies the concept of quantum engineering—an area of applied physics dedicated to designing and deploying devices that utilize quantum states such as superposition, entanglement, and coherence. These states confer extraordinary sensitivity and information-processing power. By integrating quantum sensors into biomedical applications, researchers can observe subtle biochemical interactions and structural variations inside living tissue that are invisible to conventional imaging modalities. Such capabilities could transform diagnostics, enabling early detection of pathologies like cancer and neurodegenerative diseases when they are most treatable.

The Berggren Center is headquartered within the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, a hub for cutting-edge research that bridges engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology. Here, a unique research environment fosters collaboration across disciplines that have historically operated independently. This interdisciplinary ecosystem is essential for training a new class of scientists—the so-called “bilingual scholars”—who possess dual expertise in quantum physics and biomedical science and who can translate quantum breakthroughs into clinical innovations. These scholars will be vital in overcoming the conceptual and technical barriers between fields, accelerating the translation from laboratory advances to bedside applications.

A defining aspect of the center’s mission is to develop revolutionary quantum tools specifically tailored for use within biomedical contexts. These include quantum sensors capable of detecting extremely weak electromagnetic fields arising from biochemical reactions, quantum imaging devices surpassing classical resolution limits, and quantum information techniques that can model complex biological systems more accurately than traditional computational approaches. Through such technologies, researchers hope to elucidate fundamental questions about cellular physiology, protein folding, and immune cell behavior—areas that hold the keys to understanding and treating a wide array of diseases.

Among the center’s flagship projects are investigations into quantum-enabled identifiers designed to observe individual immune cells in real time. This technology, pioneered by UChicago researchers including Assistant Professor Peter Maurer and Professors Alexander T. Pearson and Aaron Esser-Kahn, holds the potential to monitor thousands of immune cells simultaneously. Such high-resolution temporal and spatial data could shed light on the intricate dynamics of inflammation and tumor microenvironments, enabling truly personalized immunotherapies with enhanced efficacy and minimized side effects. This exemplifies how quantum tools can precisely capture biological complexity in vivo.

Underpinning the Berggren Center’s research agenda is a commitment to translating quantum discoveries into clinical practice. Achieving this requires close integration with biomedical research and patient care systems, a natural strength of UChicago Medicine. Mark Anderson, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, notes that the center’s interdisciplinary approach will not only drive technological innovation but also foster new educational pathways, including specialized training programs for physician-scientists fluent in quantum technologies. This strategic focus on workforce development aims to sustain a pipeline of medical professionals equipped to implement next-generation quantum diagnostics and therapies.

Leadership at the Berggren Center reflects its collaborative spirit. Co-directors Greg Engel and Julian Solway bring complementary expertise in quantum physics, chemistry, and translational medicine. Engel’s research delves into quantum dynamics and excited-state reactivity, exploring mechanisms by which quantum phenomena influence molecular behavior. Solway, with a career dedicated to bridging scientific disciplines and accelerating medical discovery, is focused on fostering the frameworks needed to transform complex quantum innovations into practical healthcare solutions. Together, they steer the center toward clinical impact, building on foundational projects like the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Quantum Sensing for Biophysics and Bioengineering.

The conceptual leap embodied by the Berggren Center is inspired in part by Berggren’s own scientific curiosity, sparked during an encounter with astronomers studying quantum mechanics’ revolutionary role in understanding the cosmos. Recognizing the potential for quantum science to unveil hidden processes within human physiology, Berggren’s philanthropic vision seeks to create a synergy between the most advanced quantum technologies and cutting-edge biomedical research. The resulting paradigm promises to redefine how diseases are diagnosed, understood, and treated, opening new frontiers in precision medicine.

Educating the next generation of researchers and clinicians is core to the center’s strategy. By funding fellowships and supporting seed projects, the Berggren Center fosters an interdisciplinary community equipped to navigate and innovate at the crossroads of quantum science and medicine. Moreover, hosting international conferences and workshops will establish a global network of scholars and practitioners devoted to advancing quantum biology and medicine as a unified field, accelerating discoveries and their clinical translation worldwide.

A pivotal challenge that the Berggren Center confronts is navigating the methodological and conceptual divide between quantum mechanics and biological complexity. Biological systems operate in warm, noisy environments typically thought to disrupt fragile quantum states. However, emerging evidence indicates that biological organisms may exploit quantum coherence and entanglement in processes such as photosynthesis and avian navigation. By elucidating and harnessing these phenomena, the center’s research aims to uncover novel quantum-biological mechanisms that could be manipulated for therapeutic outcomes.

The Berggren Center’s ambitious goals align with a global movement recognizing that the interface of quantum science and health represents one of the most promising frontiers of 21st-century science. By combining quantum-enabled technologies with profound biological questions, UChicago seeks to empower clinicians and researchers to identify diseases earlier, develop more precise treatments, and deliver transformative patient care. This paradigm shift promises to deepen our fundamental understanding of human health and disease, ultimately changing lives through innovation that was once the realm of science fiction.

In summation, the establishment of the Berggren Center for Quantum Biology and Medicine marks a seminal moment in the convergence of physics and medicine. Supported by visionary philanthropy, cutting-edge expertise, and vibrant institutional support, the center is poised to act as an incubator for quantum-enabled biomedical breakthroughs. Its interdisciplinary approach, commitment to education, and focus on clinical translation establish a new model for how complex scientific domains can unite to solve some of humanity’s greatest health challenges, ushering in a new era of precision medicine grounded in the laws of quantum mechanics.

Subject of Research: Quantum biology, quantum engineering, biomedical innovation, translational medicine

Article Title: University of Chicago Launches Berggren Center to Pioneer Quantum Biology and Medicine

News Publication Date: Not provided

Web References: Not provided

References: Not provided

Image Credits: Jason Smith

Keywords: Applied sciences and engineering, Quantum information, Quantum information science, Health and medicine, Information science, Applied physics, Life sciences, Education, Research programs, Biomedical engineering, Health care, Human health