As the year draws to a close, here is a look back on some of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering’s most-viewed stories by theme.
PME's most viewed stories of 2022
Quantum Engineering
1. UChicago researchers set record by preserving quantum states for more than five seconds
Researchers in the laboratory of Prof. David Awschalom were able to read out their qubit on demand, and then keep the quantum state intact for over five seconds—a new record for this class of devices.
2. Chicago expands and activates quantum network, taking steps toward a secure quantum internet
Scientists with the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE), for the first time, connected the city of Chicago and suburban labs with a quantum network—nearly doubling the length of what was already one of the longest in the country.
Materials for Sustainability
Asst. Prof. Sihong Wang and his team designed a stretchy, wearable chip able to analyze health data in real-time, opening the door to more effective, less obtrusive health monitoring.
2. A sustainable future through energy storage
Prof. Y. Shirley Meng’s quest to tackle the most difficult energy storage problems led her to UChicago. Now a faculty member at Pritzker Molecular Engineering and the chief scientist for the Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science, Meng is set on creating new technologies that support a sustainable future.
Immunoengineering
1. ‘Masked’ cancer drug sneaks through body to deliver anti-tumor treatment with fewer side effects
Scientists have long suspected that interleukin-12 could be a powerful cancer treatment, but it caused dangerous side effects. Researchers in Hubbell Lab and Swartz Lab have developed a version of the molecule that is unactivated until it reaches a tumor, where it eradicates cancer cells.
2. New cancer drug candidate targets immune system “brakes”
Matthew Tirrell and fellow researchers have developed a potential therapeutic that can suppress regulatory T cells. These T cells act like brakes on the rest of the immune system and can keep the immune system from unleashing its full potential against tumor cells.
Arts, Sciences, and Technology
1. STAGE expands theater and science exploration
The leaders of STAGE, a traditionally theater-based laboratory, reflect on how they adapted their projects and methods to work during the pandemic. STAGE plans to expand its current projects and explore new mediums for its work.
2. Betting on quantum: how one PME lab uses game design to explain physics’ most complex laws
STAGE Lab’s newest project, Quantum Casino, is a suite of analog and digital games designed to impart the core principles of quantum mechanics in a way that’s engaging and easy to understand. It consists of three digital games and three card games that use a custom deck of cards, with all six demonstrating elements of quantum mechanics.