In a big step for the future of cancer diagnostics, Swiss startup CGC Genomics has raised €1.7 million in pre-seed funding. The Basel-based company is developing Qnomx, a generative AI platform designed to simplify how complex genomic data is interpreted in clinical settings making precision therapies more accessible and less time-consuming for healthcare professionals.
The funding round was led by investors with deep roots in health and biotech innovation, including Heal Capital, Becker Ventures, Springboard Health Angels, Superangels, and better ventures. These firms are backing CGC Genomics’ vision to bring regulatory-grade artificial intelligence into the hands of doctors on the front lines of cancer care.
“With Qnomx, we are building regulatory-compliant GenAI enabling more precise therapies with less burden on medical professionals,” said James Creeden, MD PhD, Co-CEO of CGC Genomics. Creeden previously served as Chief Medical Officer at Roche and Foundation Medicine, bringing a wealth of experience to the project.
Founded in 2023 by Dr. Joerg Hoelzing, Dr. James Creeden, and Marcus Olivecrona, CGC Genomics focuses on using generative AI responsibly within oncology. Their flagship product, Qnomx, aims to be the first AI platform in cancer diagnostics that complies with European regulations such as IVDR, MDR, and the AI Act. Built under an ISO 13485-certified quality system, Qnomx promises a transparent and auditable alternative to unregulated AI tools like ChatGPT, which are sometimes used in clinical settings without oversight.
The urgency for such a solution is growing. Cancer diagnoses are rising globally, with over 20 million new cases reported in 2022. While advanced diagnostic tools like Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) can guide targeted therapy, they are underused. Only about 20–30% of patients who should be tested actually receive sequencing, mainly because the reports are too complex. In fact, around 80% of oncologists say current genomic reports are difficult to interpret quickly and confidently, slowing down decisions and increasing workload.
That’s the problem Qnomx wants to solve. The AI platform ingests the results of NGS analysis essentially the final data from genomic sequencing and turns them into clear, actionable summaries. This helps oncologists make faster, more confident decisions while also cutting down the time and cost of interpretation. The platform is always used with a “human in the loop,” meaning doctors still review the results but don’t have to start from scratch.
“Qnomx impresses with an experienced team and a groundbreaking approach to one of the field’s core challenges: making genomic data truly actionable,” said Christian Lautner, Founding Managing Partner of Heal Capital. “We’re confident they will set a new standard for the safe use of generative AI in clinical diagnostics and therapy.”
CGC Genomics is already collaborating with major healthcare providers to validate the platform. One such partner is Labor Becker, a leading diagnostic company in Bavaria with over 650 employees. “This partnership allows us to increase the efficiency and quality of our NGS process and make a valuable contribution to precision medicine,” said Marc Becker, Managing Director of Labor Becker.
Early results from pilot projects with Labor Becker and the OnkoMedeor Group show that Qnomx can reduce the interpretation time from up to two hours to just minutes. That kind of efficiency has huge implications not just in clinical workflows, but also in improving access to cutting-edge therapies, especially in regions where specialized expertise is limited.
“Diagnostics can scale interpretation cannot. That’s exactly what we’re changing with Qnomx,” said Dr. Joerg Hoelzing, Co-CEO of CGC Genomics.
What sets CGC Genomics apart is not just the technology, but how seriously it takes the responsibility of applying AI in medicine. Tina Dreimann, founder and managing director at better ventures, summed it up well: “Artificial intelligence will fundamentally transform healthcare but only if it is regulated, explainable, and responsibly applied. That is exactly what CGC Genomics delivers.”
With a strong team, top-tier investors, and a growing list of partners, CGC Genomics is positioning Qnomx to become a cornerstone of next-generation cancer diagnostics. The goal is simple but ambitious: to make personalized, precision therapy not just possible but practical and scalable for healthcare systems everywhere.
