Overview

• Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute and Ben Gurion University, demonstrated that proton transport in biological systems is influenced by quantum mechanics, not just classical chemistry.
• The study shows that electron spin orientation can enhance or hinder proton movement in chiral protein crystals, such as lysozyme, through the Chiral Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) effect.
• Chiral phonons, or vibrations in the crystal lattice, mediate the coupling between electron spin and proton transfer, revealing a new mechanism of energy and information flow in cells.
• The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), challenge long-held views of proton hopping and provide a deeper understanding of life’s molecular processes.
• This breakthrough opens pathways for spin-based bio-quantum technologies, potentially enabling new methods to mimic or control biological processes for applications in medicine, energy, and nanotechnology.