Q-META: Quantum-Enhanced Multidimensional Platform for Glioblastoma Metabolism

Using quantum-enhanced imaging and advanced three-dimensional tumor models, Q-META explores how mechanical signals shape the metabolism and progression of aggressive brain tumors. The project, funded under the Italian Ministry program Fondo Italiano per la Scienza (FIS3), investigates how mechanotransduction influences metabolic reprogramming in glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most heterogeneous and difficult-to-treat brain cancers.

The research combines two complementary innovations. First, established imaging techniques such as Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) and Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy are enhanced through quantum illumination, significantly increasing sensitivity while reducing phototoxicity. This enables non-invasive, real-time monitoring of metabolic dynamics in living tumor systems. Second, the project develops a bioprinted three-dimensional glioblastoma model that reproduces the tumor architecture and microenvironment by integrating extracellular matrix components and immune cells.

By integrating quantum light–based spectroscopy with physiologically relevant 3D tumor models, Q-META establishes a new experimental platform to investigate how mechanical and metabolic processes jointly drive tumor evolution, opening new perspectives for studying brain cancer biology and identifying future therapeutic strategies.