The Beane Lab

Stem Cells, Regeneration & Morphogenesis
in the age of Quantum Biology

Beane Lab planarian worm
Wound Epithelium

Wound Epithelium

F-actin (green) and nuclear (blue) staining reveals the morphology of the wound edge.

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Research Project 2

Quantum Biology

Ever wonder if maybe we could control stem cells by making changes at the subatomic level?

Back to Research
Diagram of the proposed radical pair mechanism by which weak magnetic fields can change electron spin states of radicals

Above: Diagram of the proposed radical pair mechanism by which weak magnetic fields can change electron spin states of radicals.

Ever wonder if maybe we could control stem cells by making changes at the subatomic level? Neither did we...until recently! But the possibilities for the therapeutic use of quantum phenomena are at the forefront of current biological research.

Our Research:

The field of quantum biology centers on interdisciplinary research into the possible quantum underpinnings of biological processes. We are working with engineers, physicists, and (hopefully soon) chemists to determine whether exposure to weak magnetic fields (WMFs) could be used as a therapeutic tool to change the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during tissue growth. Physicists propose a radical pair mechanism by which weak magnetic fields can alter the spin state of electrons in radicals. This would have the consequence of either promoting or inhibiting the recombination of radicals, leading to a change in the amounts of ROS present in the cell. As our data has shown that ROS signaling regulates the proliferation of stem cells, this quantum biology research dovetails nicely with our work on ROS signaling.

Our work has shown that exposure to WMFs is able to both inhibit and promote tissue growth during planarian regeneration. This occurs in a field strength-dependent manner, where exposure to different field strengths results in either an increase in ROS (and thus more new tissue or blastema growth) or a decrease in ROS (preventing blastema growth). Our current goal is to determine whether these effects are due to quantum phenomena as hypothesized, and to determine the full range of exposure effects.
Anterior blastema size graph showing weak magnetic field effects on planarian regeneration

Above: The amount of new tissue (blastema) growth during planarian regeneration when exposed to a range of weak magnetic field strengths.

Summary

Radical pair reactions — a quantum mechanical process — may be exploited by biological systems. We investigate whether weak magnetic fields can alter superoxide radical pair recombination rates, modulating ROS levels and stem cell behavior.

Methods

We apply precisely controlled weak magnetic fields (0–600 µT) to regenerating planarians and measure effects on superoxide production, stem cell proliferation, and regeneration outcomes through behavioral assays and quantitative imaging.

Significance

If quantum effects on radical pairs can non-invasively control stem cell activity, this opens an entirely new paradigm for regenerative medicine and cancer therapy — control without chemicals.

Related Publications

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Van Huizen, A.V., Morton, J.M.G., Kinsey, L.J., Von Kannon, D.G., Saad, M.A., Bhatt, T.R., Feldman, J.M., Gerecht, J., and Beane, W.S. (2019). Weak magnetic fields alter stem cell–mediated growth. Science Advances 5(1).

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