October 28, 2026- Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center received a two-year, $4.385 million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to lead a pioneering program in quantum theranostics, exploring the potential of quantum physics to revolutionize cancer imaging and radiation therapy. At the heart of the project is an ambitious question: Can quantum particles generated during radiation therapy be harnessed to reveal information about cancer that conventional imaging may miss?
This research will combine computational modeling, advanced detector technology and radiation oncology devices to investigate quantum entanglement in photon pairs generated during radiation treatment. If the underlying science is successfully demonstrated, these signals could eventually be used to provide real-time information about tumors and their surrounding environment, potentially revealing signatures of the tumor microenvironment, while treatment is being delivered.