City: Sao Paulo

The pharmaceutical sector and the clinical diagnostics market face longstanding bottlenecks that hinder innovation and deepen health inequalities. Drug discovery—a crucial step in the development of new therapies—is marked by inefficiencies in identifying and validating molecular interactions, especially when it comes to small molecules. Despite accounting for approximately 90% of approved drugs, these molecules exhibit subtle interactions that require highly sensitive assays to detect. Traditional approaches, such as fluorescence- or radiolabel-based techniques, lose effectiveness at very low concentrations, compromising accuracy and significantly increasing development time and costs. Today, it is estimated that only 1 in every 10,000 compounds tested ultimately receives approval as a drug. This highly inefficient funnel contributes to an average cost of $2.6 billion and a timeline of 10 to 15 years to bring a new drug to market. In the diagnostics field, the challenges are equally severe. Tests based on outdated methods lack sensitivity, scalability, and accuracy—rendering them either inaccessible or ineffective, especially in regions with limited infrastructure. Inaccurate or delayed diagnoses lead to inappropriate clinical decisions, further deepening health inequalities and compromising the effectiveness of public policies and individual treatments. These systemic inefficiencies not only generate multi-billion-dollar costs but also limit scientific progress and restrict millions of people from accessing quality therapies and diagnostics. There is an urgent need for new tools that enable significant advances in precision, cost-efficiency, and speed at the intersection of science, industry, and public health. Qnity offers a proprietary quantum electrochemical sensor technology based on a gold monolayer functionalized with a molecule developed through a collaboration between São Paulo State University (UNESP) and the University of Oxford. This molecule possesses unique quantum properties that dramatically amplify the system’s sensitivity, enabling the detection of molecular interactions with exceptional precision. The sensor’s operation is both simple and powerful. The functionalized electrode surface is anchored to a biological receptor—such as a protein, DNA, or another molecular target—and then exposed to various analytes (such as small molecules, antibodies, or DNA fragments). The system measures the strength, specificity, and dynamics of these interactions through electrochemical signals modulated by the sensor’s quantum properties. Unlike other approaches, such as Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), which operate at the picomolar scale (10⁻¹² M), Qnity’s technology reaches sensitivity levels in the attomolar range (10⁻¹⁸ M)—six orders of magnitude more sensitive. This capability allows for the detection of extremely weak and rare interactions, with direct implications for the discovery of new drugs and biomarkers. Moreover, the platform enables comprehensive molecular affinity analyses and, in the future, may include binding kinetics and thermodynamic properties—all with high reproducibility, low per-assay cost, and scalability for multiple targets. Qnity’s innovation stands on three key pillars: sensitivity, accessibility, and cost. Unprecedented sensitivity: Our technology surpasses the sensitivity of current methods like SPR by up to one million times, enabling the identification of critical interactions that previously went unnoticed. Drastically reduced cost: Qnity’s instrumentation is up to six times more affordable than commercial SPR systems. Additionally, the per-analysis cost is up to 600 times lower, enabling large-scale use even in resource-limited settings. Technological accessibility: Qnity’s compact design, user-friendly interface, and modular architecture make it suitable for both cutting-edge laboratories and research centers in underserved regions, directly contributing to the democratization of innovation. Qnity is a real and immediate application of quantum science to expand equitable access to healthcare. Our technology dramatically lowers the cost of discovering and validating new drugs while improving accuracy and speed in clinical diagnostics. As a result, we not only accelerate the arrival of new treatments to the market but also make their adoption economically viable in regions that have historically lacked access to this kind of innovation. The platform is compatible with different types of samples and protocols and is highly customizable for local needs—from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease, dengue to neglected tropical diseases. Qnity’s mission is to radically transform the processes of drug discovery and diagnostic testing. Our impact spans multiple sectors: Pharmaceutical companies benefit from a faster, more cost-effective, and more precise platform for screening candidate compounds, reducing the time and risk involved in drug development. ademic researchers gain access to a versatile and powerful tool for fundamental investigations into biomolecular interactions, with the potential to drive discoveries across many areas of bioscience. Vulnerable populations are the greatest beneficiaries. By lowering the cost and increasing the accuracy of new therapies, our technology enables access to quality healthcare even in areas with limited infrastructure. Qnity is currently in a pre-commercial validation phase with academic and industrial partners. We have already established strategic collaborations with renowned research institutes such as the UNESP Institute of Chemistry. Our goal is to complete prototype testing under real-world conditions, optimize scalability, and begin small-scale production for early adopters in 2026. Qnity offers much more than a new scientific tool—we deliver a new way of thinking about drug discovery based on the precision and power of quantum electrochemistry. By addressing one of the most critical bottlenecks in the healthcare industry with an accessible, scalable, and validated solution, Qnity positions itself as a catalyst for a new era in biomedical innovation. Investing in Qnity is investing in the future of global health—faster, more accurate, and more equitable.