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PhD. Thesis Dissertation: Gizem Çelebi Torabfam

QUANTUM EFFECTS IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

 

 

Gizem Çelebi Torabfam
Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Bioengineering, PhD Dissertation, 2025

 

Thesis Jury

Assist. Prof. Nur Mustafaoğlu (Thesis Advisor),

 Prof. Mehmet Zafer Gedik,

Assist. Prof. Onur Pusuluk,

Assoc. Prof. Güleser Kalaycı Demir,

Prof. Cristiano Dias

 

 

Date & Time: 22nd, July 2025 – 3:00 PM

Place: FENS L062

 

Zoom Link: https://sabanciuniv.zoom.us/j/8597559947?omn=96211315722

 


Keywords : Quantum biology, Static magnetic fields, Diamagnetism, Ion channels, Neurons

 

Abstract

 

Quantum biology suggests that certain biological processes, such as ion transport and signaling, may rely on quantum phenomena such as tunneling and coherence. However, proving these ideas experimentally remains difficult due to the complexity of isolating quantum effects in living systems. This thesis explores one possible route: using static magnetic fields (SMFs) as controlled, non-invasive tools to probe magnetic sensitivity in cells. The first part of the study focuses on the effect of low to moderate intensity SMFs (0.5 to 3 millitesla) on two different human cell types: glioblastoma and colorectal carcinoma cells. A combination of ion flux assays, confocal microscopy, and RNA sequencing revealed strikingly cell-type-specific responses. Glioblastoma cells showed resilience, with stable mitochondrial potential, potassium efflux, and regulated expression of ion transport and membrane-associated genes. In contrast, colorectal carcinoma cells exhibited stress phenotypes including mitochondrial depolarization, potassium influx, and transcriptional shifts toward keratinization, oxidative phosphorylation, and epigenetic remodeling. These findings support the notion that SMFs can differentially modulate cell physiology and may serve as experimental probes for quantum-biological effects. The second chapter shifts focus to potassium channels and examines how they allow such rapid and selective ion movement that classical models still struggle to explain fully. Using a combination of molecular dynamics and quantum tunneling time calculations, we found that a single potassium ion spends about 4 nanoseconds in the channel’s selectivity filter. This timescale aligns with biological observations and supports the idea that quantum behavior plays a role in ion transport. Together, these findings suggest that studying SMF responses and quantum ion dynamics in parallel can offer new insights into the physical basis of cellular function.