Target Audience
- Researchers and scientists interested in nanopore sequencing, next-generation sequencing (NGS), and emerging genomic technologies.
- Readers interested in China's genomics instrument industry and the competitive landscape surrounding Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT).
- Those interested in how deep-tech companies progress from scientific research to product development, fundraising, manufacturing, and commercialization.
Executive Summary
- Qitan Technology (齐碳科技) is a Chinese company founded in Chengdu in 2016 to develop an independent nanopore sequencing technology platform.
- Established by three co-founders with expertise in genomics, materials science, and electronics, Qitan has built an integrated platform encompassing sequencing instruments, flow cells, reagents, and analysis software.
- Since introducing its early instruments in 2020, the company has expanded into medium- and high-throughput sequencing. Its reported single-read accuracy improved from approximately 90% in 2021 to 99% in 2025.
- Supported by substantial venture capital investment and sustained R&D spending, Qitan has progressed from proof of concept to manufacturing and commercialization. However, important questions remain regarding profitability, recurring customer usage, and its competitiveness against ONT in real-world applications.
1. What Is Qitan Technology?
Qitan Technology (齐碳科技, hereafter "Qitan") is a Chinese company founded in Chengdu on September 26, 2016, to develop proprietary nanopore sequencing technology.
To understand the company's development, it is important to recognize that Qitan is not simply a manufacturer of Chinese-made DNA sequencers.
Rather, it has sought to establish a commercially viable sequencing platform by integrating the fundamental components of nanopore sequencing: nanopore proteins, flow cells, detection electronics, reagents, and computational algorithms.
Another central aspect of Qitan's history is its ambition to establish an independent domestic alternative in a field where the UK-based Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) had already established a technological and commercial lead.
1.1. Five Stages of Development
Qitan's history can be divided into five broad stages.
| Period | Development Stage | Major Milestones |
|---|---|---|
| 2016–2019 | Establishing the core technology | Proof-of-concept nanopore measurements, prototype development, and formation of a multidisciplinary R&D team |
| 2020–2021 | Transition to products and manufacturing | Announcement of the QNome-9604, launch of the commercial QNome-3841, and establishment of a manufacturing facility in Chengdu |
| 2022–2023 | Improving accuracy and throughput | Introduction of the K2 biochemical system and QPursue series, alongside expanded application development and customer acquisition |
| 2024–2025 | High-throughput expansion and product portfolio development | Launch of QPinnacle2 and the O2 biochemical system in 2025, completing a portfolio spanning low-, medium-, and high-throughput applications |
| 2026 | Evaluating commercial sustainability | Continued product and performance development, while revenue growth, profitability, and actual instrument utilization remain difficult to verify from public information |
In September 2025, Qitan announced the QPinnacle2, a high-throughput nanopore sequencer with a stated maximum output of 800 Gb, together with the O2 biochemical system, which the company claims achieves 99% single-read accuracy.
According to an investor announcement from the same year, the company had more than 300 QNome users and more than 200 QPursue users.[7]
At this stage, the central question is no longer simply whether Qitan can develop a functioning nanopore sequencer.
Rather, it is whether the company can consistently deliver a platform that competes with ONT and other established technologies in sequencing performance, cost, consumables supply, and analytical ecosystems.
This assessment is based on publicly announced technological achievements and business developments. It should not be interpreted as evidence that Qitan has already demonstrated superior market share or profitability.
2. The Founding Story: Why Pursue Nanopore Sequencing in 2016?
2.1. Three Founders with Complementary Expertise
Qitan was established by three researchers with different but complementary technical backgrounds.
Xie Dan (谢丹)
Xie Dan is a co-founder specializing in genomics and bioinformatics.
He received his PhD in biomedical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Through his experience analyzing NGS data, he became interested in genomic problems that were difficult to resolve using short sequencing reads.
Bai Jingwei (白净卫)
Bai Jingwei is a co-founder and chief scientist whose expertise encompasses proteins, microfabrication, and molecular detection devices.
He received his PhD in materials science from UCLA and conducted postdoctoral research at IBM's Watson Research Center.
He also worked on sequencing-related technologies at Illumina, bringing expertise in microdevices and molecular measurement technologies to the founding team.
Hu Geng (胡庚)
Hu Geng is a co-founder and chairman with expertise in electronics and business management.
He earned his doctorate in automation at Tsinghua University and has a technical background in electronic circuits and measurement systems.
Following the company's establishment, he played a leading role in corporate management and the development of its engineering organization.
He is also listed as the company's legal representative in Chinese corporate registration records.
The story of how these founders came together is particularly interesting.
In 2016, Xie Dan met Bai Jingwei in San Diego, where they decided to collaborate on developing nanopore sequencing technology.
Hu Geng, who had attended high school with Xie Dan, subsequently joined the project, and the three established the company in Chengdu.[1]
An important feature of this founding team is that their combined expertise covered most of the technical disciplines required to develop a nanopore sequencer.
| Technical Discipline | Required Technologies | Founding Team's Expertise |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular biology | Nanopore proteins and DNA translocation control | Protein engineering and molecular measurement |
| Electronics and devices | Flow cells and low-current detection and amplification | Materials science, microfabrication, and electronic circuits |
| Computational science | Signal processing, basecalling, and analysis | Genomics and bioinformatics |
By integrating these fields, Qitan set out to develop an independent nanopore sequencing platform encompassing instruments, flow cells, reagents, and software.
2.2. Why Not Develop an Illumina-Style Short-Read Sequencer?
By 2016, short-read NGS was already an established and substantial market.
Entering this market would have required a new company to compete with established players across multiple technologies, including flow cells, optical detection, sequencing chemistry, library preparation, and bioinformatics pipelines.
Nanopore sequencing, by contrast, was still in the early stages of widespread commercial adoption.
Qitan's founders recognized several attractive characteristics of nanopore sequencing:
- It can continuously read long DNA molecules, making it particularly useful for structural variants, repetitive sequences, and haplotype analysis.
- Instead of detecting fluorescence associated with nucleotide incorporation, it measures changes in ionic current as molecules pass through a nanopore.
- It supports real-time data acquisition and offers opportunities for compact and portable instrumentation.
- It has the potential to expand when, where, and by whom sequencing can be performed.
In other words, rather than attempting to reproduce an established short-read sequencing platform, Qitan sought to become a new platform provider during a technological transition.
In interviews, the founders identified the limitations of short-read sequencing, the relatively simple measurement principle of nanopore technology, and the potential for miniaturization and new applications as motivations for starting the company.[1]
However, the theoretical advantages of nanopore sequencing and the actual accuracy, throughput, and operating costs achievable in commercial products are different matters.
Closing this gap became a central focus of Qitan's research and development over the following decade.
3. Evolution of Technology, Products, and Business Strategy
3.1. 2016–2019: Obtaining the First Electrical Signals
In its earliest years, Qitan operated as a very small R&D organization.
According to media reports, the initial team fabricated its first microfluidic chip using borrowed microfabrication facilities.
Engineers reportedly used a confectionery box to help shield electronic circuits from noise while adjusting signal amplification circuitry.
After numerous unsuccessful attempts, the team eventually obtained its first sequencing signals.[2]
Before worrying about product appearance or advanced functionality, the engineers needed to achieve several fundamental objectives:
- Stably incorporate nanopore proteins into a membrane.
- Introduce DNA into nanopores using an electric field and control its translocation speed.
- Measure sequence-dependent ionic current changes on the picoampere (pA) scale.
- Amplify and digitize the signals while separating them from background noise.
- Convert electrical signals into nucleotide sequences.
This was not simply the development of a single instrument.
It was a systems engineering challenge spanning molecular biology, materials science, semiconductors, electronics, and computational analysis.
Major milestones during this period included a proof-of-concept prototype in 2017, an engineering prototype in 2018, and further improvements toward product readiness in 2019.
The company also established an R&D site in Beijing in 2018.
Technical development was not the only challenge during this early period.
The founders later recalled that, as a little-known startup with few established achievements, Qitan initially struggled to recruit highly qualified researchers and secure financing.[2]
3.2. 2020–2021: From Proof of Concept to Commercial Products
QNome-9604 (announced in September 2020)
The QNome-9604 was introduced as an early nanopore sequencer developed independently in China.
Its announcement marked an important transition from technology demonstration toward a product-oriented instrument.
However, it should be distinguished from the mass-produced commercial models that followed.
QNome-3841 (announced in December 2021)
The QNome-3841 was introduced as a compact nanopore sequencer designed for commercial-scale manufacturing.
Rather than supplying the instrument alone, Qitan began offering a product ecosystem that included sequencing chips and reagents, enabling customers to perform sequencing using an integrated system.
The performance specifications announced for this generation were as follows:
| Metric | Reported QNome-3841 Performance |
|---|---|
| Data output | 1–1.5 Gb |
| Single-read accuracy | Approximately 90% |
| Consensus accuracy | Approximately 99.9% at 50× coverage |
| Form factor | Handheld-sized compact instrument |
Although the single-read accuracy was approximately 90%, the company demonstrated that high consensus accuracy could be obtained with sufficient sequencing coverage.
Another major milestone was the completion of a manufacturing facility at Chengdu's Tianfu International Bio-Town toward the end of 2021.
The facility's announced production capacity was 2,000 sequencing instruments and one million reagent/chip sets per year.[2]
These figures represent stated manufacturing capacity, not actual annual production or sales volume.
At this stage, Qitan was beginning to transform from an R&D-focused organization into a life science instrumentation manufacturer capable of supplying consumables on an ongoing basis.
3.3. 2022–2023: Expanding from Compact Instruments to Medium-Throughput Platforms
In June 2022, Qitan announced the QNome-3841hex.
During this period, the company's development strategy extended beyond simply increasing the number of sequencing instruments.
It began expanding its platform to accommodate different sequencing throughput requirements and increasing levels of workflow automation.
| Product | Announcement Year | Main Features |
|---|---|---|
| QNome-3841hex | 2022 | Up to six independently operated tasks; stated maximum output of 18 Gb |
| K2 biochemical system | 2023 | Improved nanopore sequencing accuracy |
| QPursue-6k | 2023 | Stated output of 60 Gb per flow cell |
| QPursue-6khex | 2023 | Up to six flow cells; stated maximum output of 360 Gb |
| QPrenano-100 | 2023 | Automated library preparation for up to 24 samples |
For QPursue in 2023, Qitan reported 97% single-read accuracy and Q50 consensus accuracy at 70× coverage, using the K2 biochemical system in combination with updated analytical algorithms.[5]
This represented more than an increase in sample processing capacity.
It reflected an effort to improve both sequencing accuracy and throughput, two critical challenges for nanopore sequencing technologies.
In 2023, Qitan also opened its first customer experience center in Chengdu and organized READs2023, an event focused on nanopore sequencing.
These initiatives can be understood as attempts to create an environment where potential customers could evaluate the technology directly and participate in developing applications.
Such activities are important because successful commercialization requires more than instrument sales.
It also requires an ecosystem of researchers, users, and application developers.
3.4. 2024–2025: High-Throughput Sequencing and the Transition to Q20 Accuracy
Public information from 2024 placed greater emphasis on adoption of existing platforms and regulatory development for clinical applications than on the introduction of entirely new flagship instruments.
In March 2025, Qitan reported obtaining a medical device testing report from China's National Institutes for Food and Drug Control for the QNome-3841hexDx, a model intended for medical applications.
However, obtaining a testing report is not equivalent to receiving regulatory approval to market a medical device.
On September 23, 2025, the company announced the QPinnacle2 and the O2 biochemical system.[6]
QPinnacle2
QPinnacle2 is a high-throughput nanopore sequencer with a stated maximum output of 800 Gb.
It uses a configuration consisting of two flow cells, each with a stated capacity of 400 Gb.
This represented an expansion beyond the company's earlier compact and medium-throughput instruments toward applications requiring substantially larger amounts of genomic data.
O2 Biochemical System
The O2 biochemical system was introduced as a new sequencing system capable of achieving a reported single-read accuracy of 99%, equivalent to Q20.
According to Qitan, the improvements resulted from the combined development of several components:
- New nanopore proteins
- Proteins controlling DNA translocation speed
- New polymer membrane materials
- Adapters
- Reaction reagents
- Basecalling algorithms
The company also reported a 20% reduction in measurement noise and a high-quality membrane formation rate exceeding 90%.[6]
These developments are technically significant.
In nanopore sequencing, improvements in single-read accuracy can reduce the coverage required to achieve a given consensus accuracy, decrease downstream computational correction requirements, and expand the range of practical applications.
However, the announced Q20 performance does not necessarily mean that 99% accuracy is guaranteed under all sequence conditions.
Error characteristics involving repetitive sequences, homopolymers, modified bases, and specific sequence contexts require independent evaluation.
3.5. Comparing Product Generations
The evolution of Qitan's reported maximum data output can be summarized as follows.
| Product | Announcement Year | Stated Maximum Data Output |
|---|---|---|
| QNome-3841 | 2021 | 1.5 Gb |
| QNome-3841hex | 2022 | 18 Gb |
| QPursue-6k | 2023 | 60 Gb |
| QPursue-6khex | 2023 | 360 Gb |
| QPinnacle2 | 2025 | 800 Gb |
These figures are manufacturer-reported specifications.
Because the measurement conditions and numbers of flow cells differ, they should not be interpreted as directly comparable performance measurements under identical conditions.
Qitan has consistently focused on nanopore sequencing since its founding.
Consequently, its technological evolution has not involved changing the underlying sequencing principle.
Instead, it has involved expanding the same core technology toward higher accuracy, greater throughput, and a wider range of applications.
4. Capital and Funding History: Who Supported Qitan's Development?
Qitan's business required substantial investment long before instrument sales could generate sufficient operating cash flow.
The following table summarizes major funding rounds identified in public sources.
| Date | Funding Round | Announced Amount | Major Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2017 | Early-stage financing | RMB 3 million | Heli Investment and others |
| April 2018 | Pre-A | RMB 20 million | Yahui Investment, Zhongguancun-related investors, and others |
| August 2019 | Strategic investment | RMB 40 million | Zhongguancun-related investors, Yahui Investment, Baidu Ventures |
| May 2020 | Series A | Over RMB 100 million | Gaorong Capital, Ginkgo Valley Capital, and others |
| June 2021 | Series B | Over RMB 400 million | Co-led by Hillhouse Venture Capital and CDH VGC |
| December 2022 | Series C | RMB 700 million | Led by Meituan, with Huagai Capital and Boyuan Capital |
| December 2023 | Series C+ | Approximately RMB 100 million | Orinno Capital, Guosheng Capital |
| December 2025 | Series D | Undisclosed | Beishang Capital |
There are discrepancies between corporate databases regarding the classification of funding rounds between 2017 and 2020.
The December 2025 Series D round appears in multiple corporate databases, but the financing amount and detailed transaction terms could not be confirmed.[8]
Adding together the publicly disclosed amounts produces a figure of somewhat more than RMB 1.5 billion, approximately RMB 1.53 billion.
However, this is simply an aggregation of announced financing amounts.
It does not represent Qitan's current cash balance or corporate valuation.
4.1. 2017–2019: Early Investors Supporting Research and Development
During the initial phase, financing was primarily directed toward research and development.
Investment decisions were likely focused on whether the company could demonstrate the underlying technology and develop an independent technical platform.
At this stage, Qitan had limited commercial achievements.
Investors therefore needed to evaluate the technological potential of the approach and the capabilities of the founding team.
4.2. 2020–2021: Large Financing Rounds for Commercialization and Manufacturing
The participation of investors such as Gaorong Capital, Hillhouse Venture Capital, and CDH VGC significantly increased the scale of financing.
By the Series B round in 2021, the company's objectives had expanded beyond continuing R&D.
Mass production and market entry had become explicit priorities.[3]
This financing was particularly important as the company began transitioning from a research organization into a manufacturing business.
4.3. 2022: A Major Investment Led by Meituan
In December 2022, Qitan completed a Series C financing round of RMB 700 million led by Meituan.
By this point, the company stated that it was already selling products and serving more than 100 institutional customers.
This investment can be interpreted not merely as another financing event, but as a reflection of expectations for large-scale commercialization.
However, the specific investment rationale and potential business synergies anticipated by Meituan cannot be determined from this information alone.
4.4. 2023–2025: Regional Industrial Capital and Continued Financing
In the 2023 Series C+ round, investors included Orinno Capital, associated with Chengdu's High-Tech Zone, and a fund connected with Chengdu Bio-Town.[4]
Corporate databases also record a Series D round in December 2025 involving Beishang Capital.[8]
These developments suggest an increasingly close relationship between Qitan's financing and regional industrial initiatives supporting domestically developed advanced scientific instruments.
Particularly notable is the involvement of Zhongguancun Development Group.
According to the group, it provided financial support through multiple investments beginning in 2019.
It also contributed to connections with additional investors and the development of research and manufacturing facilities.[7]
This illustrates Qitan's transition from a venture-backed R&D startup toward a technology manufacturer embedded within a broader regional industrial ecosystem.
However, the available public information is insufficient to reconstruct the company's exact current ownership structure, dilution of founder equity, valuations in individual financing rounds, or preferred-share terms.
5. Evolution of Personnel and Organization
5.1. From a Founder-Led Startup to a Specialized R&D Organization
Publicly available information provides several snapshots of Qitan's organizational growth.
| Period | Reported Workforce | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Small founding team | Established around three co-founders |
| June 2022 | Approximately 250 employees | R&D operations also located in Beijing and Guangzhou |
| December 2022 | Approximately 270 employees | More than 75% involved in technical R&D |
| Corporate descriptions from 2023 onward | Reports of more than 300 employees | Operations in Chengdu, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Nanjing |
In 2022, media reports indicated that more than half of Qitan's employees held master's or doctoral degrees.
The company's actual workforce in 2026 could not be verified.
Because employee counts differ considerably across corporate databases, the figure of more than 300 employees should not automatically be treated as the current headcount.
5.2. Roles of the R&D Locations
Qitan expanded its operations from Chengdu to Beijing, Guangzhou, and Nanjing.
Chengdu serves as the headquarters and manufacturing location, while R&D functions have also been established in Beijing and other cities.
One important implication of this geographical expansion is that it may have helped the company recruit researchers and engineers across the wide range of disciplines required for nanopore sequencing.
However, available public information does not sufficiently establish which specific molecular technologies, hardware components, or development responsibilities are assigned to each location.
5.3. Have the Three Founders Maintained Their Roles?
At the September 2025 product launch, Xie Dan explained the company's technological development strategy, while Bai Jingwei presented technical details of the O2 biochemical system.[6]
Hu Geng also appeared as chairman in communications surrounding the Series C+ financing round in late 2023.[4]
These observations indicate that the founders continued to play important roles in both technology strategy and corporate management through at least 2025.
No publicly verifiable information was identified indicating a large-scale departure of founders, a transfer of management control to external investors, or a replacement of the company's principal R&D leadership.
Nevertheless, the available information does not provide a complete chronological record of board membership, management changes, ownership percentages, or leadership appointments at individual R&D sites.
Further investigation would therefore be required to assess organizational stability in greater detail.
6. Challenges Qitan Has Faced and How It Responded
The challenges confronting Qitan have changed as the company has matured.
| Development Stage | Major Challenge | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Founding | Difficulty recruiting R&D talent and securing financing | Multidisciplinary founding team and staged fundraising |
| Proof of concept | Difficulty obtaining stable low-current signals | Internal development of nanopore proteins, membranes, circuitry, and chips |
| Product development | Difficulty translating laboratory success into manufacturing | Manufacturing facilities and integrated development of reagents and flow cells |
| Market entry | Limited sequencing accuracy and throughput | Development of K2 and QPursue |
| Expansion | Need for higher accuracy and large-scale sequencing | Development of O2 and QPinnacle2 |
| Current stage | Demonstrating recurring customer usage and profitability | Continued expansion of product lines, applications, and clinical development |
6.1. Challenge 1: The Enormous Gap Between Proof of Concept and Commercialization
Detecting an electrical current change when DNA passes through a nanopore is only the beginning of developing a commercial nanopore sequencer.
Commercialization requires simultaneous improvements across several parameters, including:
- Membrane formation success rates
- Nanopore protein stability
- DNA translocation speed
- Signal quality across individual channels
- Manufacturing yield
- Storage stability of sequencing chips
Qitan adopted a strategy of developing these capabilities internally rather than depending entirely on external technologies.
In a 2022 interview, co-founder Xie Dan stated that more than 95% of the company's raw materials had been domestically sourced.[1]
This is significant from the perspective of supply chain resilience.
However, domestic sourcing does not necessarily mean that the company is free from intellectual property risks involving overseas companies.
Freedom to Operate (FTO) requires a separate patent and legal assessment.
6.2. Challenge 2: Low Single-Read Accuracy
One of the clearest areas of technological progress has been sequencing accuracy.
| Technology Generation | Year | Reported Single-Read Accuracy |
|---|---|---|
| QNome | 2021 | Approximately 90% |
| K2 | 2023 | Approximately 97% |
| O2 | 2025 | Approximately 99% |
Q20 corresponds to a 1% error rate, Q15 to approximately 3.16%, and Q10 to 10%.
Therefore, improving single-read accuracy from 90% to 99% represents more than a nine-percentage-point improvement.
Based on the reported figures, it represents a tenfold reduction in the error rate.
At the 2025 O2 announcement, Qitan described improvements involving the following elements:[6]
- Nanopore protein design
- DNA translocation speed control
- Membrane materials and membrane formation yield
- Signal noise and nanopore blockage
- Adapters, reagents, and basecalling
However, accurately evaluating improvements across generations requires comparisons using the same reference samples.
Of particular importance is determining how the characteristics of sequencing errors have changed in homopolymers, repetitive sequences, structural variant detection, SNV/indel calling, and modified-base detection.
6.3. Challenge 3: Limitations of a Single Instrument and the Need for Broader Applications
Qitan's initial commercial instruments in 2021 had relatively limited data output, making them less suitable for large-scale genomic analysis.
The company itself recognized that relying exclusively on early low-throughput products would restrict potential applications and therefore continued investing in technological development.[2]
Instead of discontinuing compact instruments, Qitan adopted a strategy of adding products with different throughput capabilities.
| Product Family | Primary Positioning | Potential Applications |
|---|---|---|
| QNome | Compact, low-throughput | On-site sequencing, rapid analysis, small-scale research |
| QPursue | Medium-throughput | Research institutions and medium-scale sequencing |
| QPinnacle2 | High-throughput | Large-scale genome analysis and cohort studies |
This strategy allowed Qitan to expand beyond a limited set of applications into pathogen analysis, inherited disease research, forensic science, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.[7]
6.4. Challenge 4: Moving from Research Instruments to Clinical Devices
Being able to use nanopore sequencing for research is not equivalent to being able to use it in clinical diagnostics.
Clinical applications require more than sequencing accuracy.
They also require lot-to-lot reproducibility, quality management systems, specimen-specific validation, regulatory compliance, and traceability.
Qitan has pursued this transition incrementally.
In 2024, reports indicated that the company had obtained a Chinese Class II medical device registration certificate for a medical device.
However, this registration should not be interpreted as applying to all of Qitan's sequencing instruments.
In March 2025, the company announced that the QNome-3841hexDx had obtained a medical device testing report.
This represented progress toward regulatory submission, but it did not establish that the model had received final Class III medical device registration approval.
Regulatory approval and sustained adoption of clinical instruments are likely to be important factors in Qitan's next stage of growth.
6.5. Challenge 5: Development, Manufacturing, and Sales During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Between 2020 and 2022, Qitan faced challenges associated with pandemic-related restrictions.
These included limitations on customer visits, difficulties holding conferences and exhibitions, and rising raw material costs.
Rather than reducing R&D spending, the company chose to increase it.
According to a 2022 report by People's Daily Online, Qitan's R&D investment in 2021 was 2.6 times the previous year's level.[2]
This decision can be interpreted as prioritizing technological improvements and closing the performance gap with established competitors, even when short-term commercial conditions were unfavorable.
7. Evolution of Customer Adoption and Market Development
Public communications from Qitan frequently emphasize growth in the number of institutions or users served rather than simply the number of sequencing instruments sold.
| Period | Reported Customers or Users | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| End of 2022 | More than 100 institutions | Number of institutional customers served |
| End of 2023 | More than 200 institutions | Number of institutional customers served |
| Second half of 2025 | More than 300 QNome users and more than 200 QPursue users | Figures reported separately by product family |
The user populations for QNome and QPursue may overlap.
Consequently, the 2025 figures should not be interpreted as evidence that Qitan had acquired 500 unique customers.[4][7]
A 2023 announcement by Orinno Capital identified customers and users including disease prevention and control institutions, customs authorities, cancer research institutions, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and West China Hospital.[4]
This customer profile suggests that Qitan was seeking to expand beyond initial adoption by universities and research institutes into applications closer to practical public health, medical, customs inspection, and forensic operations.
However, growth in the reported number of customers does not necessarily imply sustained revenue growth.
The public figures do not distinguish clearly between evaluation installations, free-of-charge deployments, and customers who regularly purchase consumables.
8. What Has Been Achieved, and What Remains Uncertain in 2026?
In April 2026, Qitan appeared in a corporate profile published by the China Instrument and Control Society, which described its principal activities as the research, development, and manufacturing of nanopore sequencers, chips, and reagents.
Based on the company's development history, its current position can be summarized as follows.
| Evaluation Area | Current Assessment |
|---|---|
| Proof of concept | Achieved |
| Commercial instrument development | Achieved |
| Establishment of manufacturing facilities | Achieved |
| Low-, medium-, and high-throughput product portfolio | Products announced |
| Q20 single-read accuracy | Achieved according to company-reported figures |
| Customer adoption across multiple sectors | Publicly reported examples available |
| Regulatory development for clinical products | Progress confirmed |
| Independent comprehensive performance evaluation | Sufficient public data not identified |
| Revenue, profitability, and cash flow | Not verified |
| Actual flow cell usage and repeat purchase rates | Not verified |
| Real-world operating cost comparisons with ONT | Not verified |
| Detailed 2026 management and ownership structure | Not verified |
Including the Series D round reported in December 2025, there is evidence of continued business activity and additional financing leading into 2026.
However, this alone is insufficient to determine the company's financial health or long-term funding capacity.
9. What Makes Qitan Interesting from Genomics and Business Perspectives?
Three characteristics are particularly important when evaluating Qitan's development.
9.1. Manufacturing the Sequencing Platform Is Itself the Competitive Strategy
Qitan did not enter the industry primarily as a distributor of existing sequencing instruments or as a sequencing analysis service provider.
Instead, it has sought to build the core measurement platform itself, including instruments, chips, reagents, and analytical software.
This approach requires an exceptionally large technology development effort.
However, if successful, it creates the potential for a platform business based on the recurring supply of flow cells and reagents.
Over the long term, the number of instruments sold may be less important than the installed base of actively used instruments, flow cell consumption frequency, repeat reagent purchases, and the adoption of specific applications.
9.2. Domestic Sourcing and Independent Development Have Economic and Strategic Value
China has large research and clinical testing markets, as well as industrial policies supporting the development of domestically produced advanced scientific instruments.
For Qitan, developing proprietary technology and a domestic supply chain has two distinct benefits.
From an industrial policy perspective, it can help reduce dependence on imported research instruments.
From a business perspective, it can enable greater domestic control over supply, maintenance, and customer service.
However, domestic policy support does not automatically translate into competitiveness in international markets.
Export regulations, intellectual property, service networks, and reagent logistics represent separate challenges.
9.3. Future Competition Will Increasingly Depend on Practical Workflows
Qitan has already announced Q20 accuracy and high-throughput sequencing instruments.
Going forward, differentiation will likely depend on more than the maximum number of gigabases generated by an instrument.
Practical usability and the ability to produce reliable research or operational results will become increasingly important.
Relevant evaluation criteria include:
- Actual sequencing time and total cost required for 30× human whole-genome sequencing
- Real-world performance for structural variants, SNVs, indels, and DNA methylation analysis
- Flow cell quality variability and the proportion of usable reads
- Retention of chip performance after storage and transportation
- Computational costs of basecalling and secondary analysis
- Ease of migrating existing ONT-based analytical pipelines
- Consistent quality assurance for clinical and testing applications
Without evaluation of these factors, strong performance in product announcements does not necessarily translate into a sequencing platform that customers use continuously.
10. Overall Assessment: From Technological Independence to Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Qitan's first decade can be summarized as a transition from a scientific and engineering challenge toward the construction of a commercial sequencing platform.
The central bet at the company's founding was whether an independent nanopore sequencing technology platform could be developed in China.
Between 2016 and 2019, Qitan focused on proof of concept.
In 2020 and 2021, it transitioned toward manufacturing instruments and consumables.
During 2022 and 2023, the company improved sequencing accuracy and throughput.
By 2025, it had announced a high-throughput instrument and Q20 single-read accuracy.
Organizationally, the company grew from three co-founders specializing in genomics, materials and protein engineering, and electronics into a technical organization numbering several hundred people.
Financially, it received support from early-stage venture capital, major private growth investors, and regional industrial investment funds.
In this respect, Qitan provides a particularly interesting example of a deep-tech company attempting to transform scientific research into a commercially viable technology platform.
However, technological independence, commercialization, and sustainable competitive advantage are three different stages.
Although Qitan has demonstrated proof of concept and developed commercial products, important questions remain.
How economically competitive is its technology compared with ONT?
How many customers use its instruments frequently and continue purchasing consumables?
Has the company achieved sufficient profitability to sustain its operations over the long term?
These questions require further investigation.
10.1. Areas Worth Investigating Further
For researchers, technology evaluators, and organizations considering potential partnerships, several areas would be especially valuable to examine:
- Patents covering Qitan's proprietary nanopore proteins and motor proteins
- Peer-reviewed publications and publicly available datasets validating O2 basecalling performance
- Real-world cost comparisons with ONT
- Independent reports from major customers describing practical sequencing performance
- The latest regulatory approval status of Qitan's medical devices
Based on the information currently available, Qitan can reasonably be characterized as a significant Chinese nanopore sequencing company that has progressed from fundamental technology development to manufacturing and commercialization.
At the same time, its global competitiveness and sustainable profitability cannot yet be fully evaluated from public information alone.
The most important question for Qitan's future is therefore how it will translate technological achievement into lasting commercial success.
References
The following publicly available sources provide the principal background for this article. The reference numbers correspond to citations in the text.
[1] National Business Daily (每日经济新闻), “Interview with Xie Dan,” 2022. https://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2485769.html
[2] People's Daily Online (人民网), “基因测序新锐的逆行哲学” [The Unconventional Philosophy of an Emerging Gene Sequencing Company], 2022. https://sc.people.com.cn/n2/2022/0510/c379471-35260503.html
[3] Forbes China, “齐碳科技完成超4亿元B轮融资” [Qitan Technology Completes Series B Financing Exceeding RMB 400 Million], 2021. https://www.forbeschina.com/business/55721
[4] Orinno Capital (策源资本), “Investment Information Regarding Qitan Technology's Series C+ Financing,” 2023. https://www.orinnocapital.com/news/244.html
[5] China Instrument and Control Society (中国仪器仪表学会), “Announcement of Qitan Technology's QPursue Platform,” 2023. https://fxxh.cis.org.cn/news/4979.html
[6] Instrument Information Network (仪器信息网), “Announcement of Qitan Technology's QPinnacle2 and O2 Biochemical System,” 2025. https://www.instrument.com.cn/news/20250925/840100.shtml
[7] Zhongguancun Development Group (中关村发展集团), “Report on Qitan Technology's Product Portfolio and Customer Base,” 2025. https://www.zgcgroup.com.cn/Home/NewsCenter/DomesticNews/art/2025/art_132c0e42c6fb4d7680e7629e896c5704.html
[8] innoHere, “Qitan Technology Financing History,” Corporate Financing Database. https://www.innohere.com/ir/100822/finance.html
*Note: This article is based on publicly available information as of November 3, 2026.