Dutch deeptech startup QT Sense opens up a new world for drug development

QT Sense, a spin-off from University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), is developing the world’s first technology capable of quantifying free radicals and oxidative stress in real time in living cells without disrupting their natural functioning. Using nanodiamonds as highly sensitive biosensors, researchers can monitor biological processes as they happen. This represents a fundamental breakthrough. QT Sense overcomes a technological barrier, adding an entirely new layer of information to biomedical research and drug development. Whereas existing techniques provide insight into what might happen and what has happened, QT Sense reveals how a living cell is actually responding at that very moment. Free radicals are among the earliest biological signals generated when a cell responds to a disease, drug or other stimulus. This is precisely why they provide valuable insights into the mechanism of action of treatments and play an important role in conditions such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and cardiovascular disease.

QT Sense’s mission is clear: to make visible what has until now remained largely invisible. By measuring free radicals and oxidative stress in real time, the company aims to help researchers, physicians and pharmaceutical companies better understand diseases and identify the right targets for diagnosis and treatment more quickly. Ultimately, this should contribute to improved diagnostics, more effective medicines and more personalized patient care. The need is urgent. Drug development is a lengthy, costly and high-risk process. It often takes more than ten years for a drug to reach the market, while many candidate drugs fail along the way. One major reason is that researchers often only understand at a late stage how a drug behaves in a living cell. As a result, poor choices sometimes become apparent only after considerable time and money have already been invested. With Quantum Nuova, QT Sense aims to bring these insights forward. Researchers can assess sooner whether a treatment works, which dosage is optimal and whether any unwanted effects occur. This helps them adjust experiments more quickly, stop low-potential programmes earlier and accelerate the further development of successful treatments.

— Deepak Veeregowda, CEO QT Sense

QT Sense’s technology combines quantum sensing, nanodiamonds, advanced optics and data analysis. The nanodiamonds function as highly sensitive biosensors. They are placed in or near a living cell and record changes associated with the presence of free radicals. Because the measurement is optical, the cell remains intact and natural processes can be monitored without disruption. According to QT Sense, no existing technique can simultaneously locate, quantify and measure free radicals in real time at the level of an individual living cell without affecting that cell. The combination of real-time measurements, high spatial resolution, long-term observation and a non-destructive measurement method sets the platform apart.

— Prof. Dr Romana Schirhagl, CSO, QT Sense

The range of potential applications is broad, including drug discovery, toxicology screening, oncology, cardiovascular conditions, neurodegenerative diseases, infectious diseases, immunology and tissue models. One concrete example is research into the mechanism of action of ONC201, a cancer drug for glioma, a rare but aggressive tumour of the brain or spinal cord. The drug is intended to eliminate tumour cells. After administering the drug, our Quantum Nuova device immediately detected mitochondrial oxidative stress and continued to measure it until the tumour cell died. This enabled us to map the drug’s effect.

QT Sense has now entered the market. The company sold more than ten systems in 2025 and 2026, works with pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, and generates revenue. Its commercial pipeline is growing, with an increasing shift towards pharma. The technology has also been robustly validated scientifically: Prof. Dr Romana Schirhagl has published more than 180 articles in scientific journals based on QT Sense’s work and nanodiamond technology.

The next phase is all about scaling up. QT Sense aims to further develop reliable and efficient system production, expand its commercial presence in the United States and Asia, and attract new talent. This includes field application scientists, manufacturing expertise and regulatory knowledge. Over the next 24 months, the company aims to work towards selling more than 25 systems, with growing recurring revenue from consumables, software and service contracts.

For Rabobank, QT Sense is a compelling example of an innovative frontrunner growing at the intersection of technology, science and societal impact. The company aligns well with the focus of the Startup & Scale-up Team: businesses with international potential, a knowledge- and technology-driven proposition, and a need for appropriate financing, networks and guidance during the scaling phase.

Deeptech companies of this kind often require a different approach from conventional businesses. Development cycles are longer, validation is more complex, and commercial growth requires collaboration with knowledge institutions, investors, strategic partners and customers. This is precisely where Rabobank can add value—not only as a financier, but also as a sparring partner that contributes ideas and opens up its network.

In line with its scaling phase, QT Sense recently received financing from Rabobank. Specifically, this involved working capital financing for a company with a growing order book. The financing need does not arise from structural losses, but from the working capital cycle. Customers pay in instalments, while producing a system takes two to four months and requires purchasing materials in advance. The financing helps bridge this timing gap, enabling QT Sense to produce and deliver systems in the coming period. QT Sense chose Rabobank because of its commitment, speed and knowledge of innovative technology companies. Together, they explored a solution suited to the company’s stage and growth ambitions.

— Hoang Nguyen, COO QT Sense

QT Sense’s technology addresses themes that matter to Rabobank: health, innovation and strengthening a future-proof society. By providing faster insight into disease processes and drug response, QT Sense can contribute to better and more efficient drug development. In doing so, the company demonstrates how Dutch deeptech can grow into an international player with societal relevance.

— Harjan van der Linde, Startup & Scale-up Banker Rabobank

For Rabobank, supporting startups and scale-ups is about more than financing alone. It means moving alongside entrepreneurs who open up new markets, bring technology into practice and build solutions for the future. QT Sense is a strong example: a company that connects science, entrepreneurship and impact, literally making visible what was previously hidden. According to Harjan van der Linde, Startup & Scale-up Banker at Rabobank, QT Sense is a strong fit for the Startup & Scale-up Team because it has reached a stage where innovation, commercialisation and scaling converge and its ambitious team has a strong deeptech profile.

Through their innovative strength, startups and scale-ups renew the economy, make a significant contribution to solving societal challenges, and are an important engine for economic and employment growth in the Netherlands. This target group therefore represents major strategic value for Rabobank. The Startup & Scale-up Team helps entrepreneurs who share this mission grow sustainably by providing access to its international network, expertise and non-dilutive financing.