The duos patented solution: an agent-oriented decision-making logic, which is the first of its kind to use quantum distribution to predict different scenarios in the biological process, is a breakthrough.
This was truly cemented when Mansouri and Savoie received the HPC Innovation Excellence Award in November 2025, in partnership with ORCA Computing, Novo Nordisk and their DTU spin-out SiC Systems.
“It's like winning a mini–Nobel Prize, but in computing. The NASA folks behind the technology in the Mars rover have won the same award, so suddenly we're in the same category,” says Christopher Savoie, looking back on the journey to get there.
“I've had days when I've thought: Our idea sounds crazy. Maybe we're crazy too. So, for me, the award is confirmation that we were, and are, on the right track.”
5ximpact
Investors agree with this conclusion. So far, Mansouri and Savoie have received $2.5 million in investments led by QDNL Participations, Propagator Ventures, Wavepeak Ventures and Plug and Play. The latter has previously invested in PayPal and Dropbox, among others, and says of the new investment:
”Plug and Play has consistently backed founder teams that have revolutionized our economy in fundamental ways through technology. Christopher and Soheil are such a team.”
Also, pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk and quantum company ORCA Computing have joined the project. Behind the support lies great potential.
“If we can design a completely new production process with our solution implemented, we will be able to increase yields in biotechnology in general fivefold and at the same time bring down the high prices so that everyone can afford food and medicine,” says Christopher Savoie.
Seyed Soheil Mansouri adds that significant inefficiencies and lack of sensor and data orchestration in current chemical and commodity production contributes to keeping prices high and has a negative carbon footprint, as a lot of energy is used to heat and cool the production unnecessarily.
“In case of most pharmaceutical and biosolutions companies’, they budget for the loss of entire batches due to errors that always occur. This means that huge amounts of medicine and food are wasted that could otherwise have benefited a lot of people. At the same time, energy is wasted on nothing,” he explains.
A revolution is needed
Before the solution's potential can change the current situation, it will require a complete—and costly—replacement of production equipment, particularly in biotechnology companies.
Parts of the system solution could be implemented in the current bioreactors, but the result would not be a fivefold increase in yield. Therefore, the message from the researchers is clear:
“We need a revolution in bioproduction in general—and someone must take the initiative. With DTU behind us, we have taken on that role. We have created a solution that can completely change both the sustainability and economics of bioproduction,” says Christopher Savoie.
The researchers have also taken the initiative for the next step. In addition to SiC Systems, they have founded the spin-out company Ensamble Biosystems.
Here, they are designing completely new bioreactors, where sensors and control systems will be an integral part of the final design.
