Congratulations to QT Sense, the Groningen-based startup using cutting-edge quantum sensing to improve our knowledge of diseases. They've raised €6 million to further refine their Quantum Nuova product.
The funding combines equity investment from quantum-focused VC fund QDNL Participations, plus a group of angels, with grant funding from Interreg Europe.
The Dutch startup is advancing disease diagnostics through breakthroughs in quantum sensing at a single-cell level.
QT Sense’s technology relies on exposing specially prepared nanodiamonds to individual cells, allowing the company to measure a change in brightness of light emitted by the nanodiamonds that corresponds to cellular activity. By mapping these changes in real time at a single-cell resolution, the startup can provide early sepsis diagnostics and enhance personalized cancer treatment and drug development for both pharmaceutical and academic applications.
“While other companies use quantum sensing principles to address healthcare challenges, their existing solutions are limited in terms of spatial resolution & sensitivity, leaving significant gaps in meeting clinical needs. QTSense’s focus on single-cell-level detection allows us to achieve much higher precision in diagnosing and understanding diseases, offering a deeper and more detailed insight into cellular activity that current technologies can't match,” explains co-founder and CEO, Dr. Deepak H. Veeregowda, who has 15 years of experience in engineering and entrepreneurship.
QT Sense was founded in February 2024 as a spinout from University Medical Center Groningen. Prof. Dr Romana Schirhagl, a leading expert in quantum sensing at the single-cell level, and the company’s chief scientific officer, co-founded the company with Dr. Deepak Veeregowda, and Hoang Nguyen (chief operating officer with 10+ years of experience in finance, investments, and operations).
The new funds will be used to further refine Quantum Nuova, QT Sense’s first commercial product, the first version of which is already being prepared to ship to the company’s first customer, the University Medical Center Groningen, where it will be used in the Emergency and Acute Care Center for cutting-edge sepsis diagnostics research.
“What we noticed in the QT Sense team was the rare combination of deep quantum sensing and life sciences expertise, along with a good understanding of building and selling products. It is exceptional teams like theirs that will move quantum sensing from the lab into practical applications” said Ton van ’t Noordende, general partner at QDNL Participations.