QT Sense has raised €4 million to advance Quantum Nuova, a quantum sensing platform designed to measure cellular stress and biochemical activity in living cells, in real time and at single-cell resolution.
The financing includes a €3 million seed round led by Cottonwood Technology Fund, with follow-on investment from existing backer QDNL Participations and an angel investor. The round is complemented by €1 million in non-dilutive funding, including support from ONCO-Q and the Quantum Forward Challenge.
QT Sense plans to use the capital to transition Quantum Nuova from a high-performing prototype into a deployable research platform. That work will focus on improving hardware robustness, throughput and integrated analytics, while placing early-access systems with research and drug discovery partners.
Unlike conventional approaches that rely on fixed or non-living samples, Quantum Nuova measures biochemical activity in living cells and tissues. The system uses fluorescent nanodiamond quantum sensors to detect oxidative stress, metabolic shifts and free radical dynamics that are difficult to observe with existing imaging or omics techniques.
According to the company, the platform has already been used to demonstrate mechanisms of action for FDA-approved compounds. With ONCO-Q grant support, QT Sense is now applying the technology to colorectal cancer, aiming to map oxidative stress and metabolic vulnerabilities in tumour models.
QT Sense chief executive Dr Deepak Veeregowda said the choice of lead investor was deliberate. “Cottonwood backs real deep tech. Their conviction in breakthrough hardware enables us to move fast and deliver Quantum Nuova to scientists and drug discovery researchers who need it.”
Alain le Loux, general partner at Cottonwood Technology Fund, said the firm was backing a company with the potential to reshape drug discovery. “QT Sense is exactly the kind of hard science company we look for, deeply disruptive technology rooted in world-class research.”
