Chromos Labs: Capturing the brain’s signals with quantum diamond imaging
For millions of people living with neurological disorders, from epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease to depression and motor neuron disease, treatment options remain limited. A big reason is that researchers still lack the right tools to truly understand how brain cells communicate and how drugs affect those networks. Chromos Labs is on a mission to change that, with an imaging technology that makes the invisible electrical signals of neurons visible in real time.
Solving a hidden challenge in drug discovery
“Most neurological drugs fail before they ever reach patients,” explains Dr Nikolai Dontschuk, CEO and Co-Founder of Chromos Labs. “That’s because animal models don’t reflect the complexity of the human brain and the tools we use in the lab either lack resolution or require invasive genetic modification of cells.”
Today, neuroscientists rely on electrodes pressed against tissue or sophisticated genetic engineering methods known as optogenetics. Both approaches have drawbacks. Electrodes can’t reliably detect signals at the level of single cells, while optogenetics requires modifying every cell line before experiments can begin – an expensive, time-consuming step that limits scalability.
Chromos Labs saw an opportunity to create a simple way to watch neurons firing in human cell cultures, without altering the cells themselves.
A “super camera” for neurons
At the heart of Chromos Labs’ innovation is quantum-diamond sensing. The team has developed a unique way of using light-emitting defects in diamond, known as nitrogen vacancy centres, to measure voltage changes with unprecedented speed and sensitivity.
“In the simplest terms, we’ve built a camera that can see the electrical impulses of brain cells,” says Dr Daniel McCloskey, Chief Scientific Officer. “It’s like filming a high-speed movie of neurons as they fire and connect. For the first time, we can watch networks of human cells communicating and see how that changes with disease or drug treatment.”
Evaluating the Chromos' sensor. The voltage imaging diamond sensor measuring neurons alongside traditional electrical probes.
This ability to capture the function of neural networks, not just their structure, could transform how scientists study conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and depression, and how pharmaceutical companies screen new therapies.
From lab bench to market
Chromos Labs’ commercial pathway begins with collaborations with academic groups and early biotech partners, validating the technology across a range of neurological disease models. Once proven, the team plans to expand into pharmaceutical applications, enabling drug developers to test compounds directly on human-derived cells with far greater accuracy than before.
The initial product combines tiny diamond sensors with industry-standard well plates, allowing researchers to grow cell cultures directly on top. Paired with advanced data-analysis algorithms, the system provides fast, repeatable readouts of neural activity.
Dr Daniel McCloskey, Chief Scientific Officer bringing neuronal signals into focus
Longer-term, the team envisions scaling manufacturing to produce diamond-based consumables for high-throughput drug screening. “We want to give drug developers a reliable, easy-to-use platform that improves the success rate of neurological therapies,” says Co-Founder Eliza Rokhsat, who leads Chromos’ commercialisation strategy.
Meet the team
Chromos Labs brings together a mix of physics expertise, entrepreneurial drive, and translational experience.
Dr Nikolai Dontschuk, Chief Executive Officer, is a physicist turned entrepreneur who has spent the last decade pioneering quantum sensing research at the University of Melbourne, with a focus on bridging fundamental science and real-world applications.
Dr Daniel McCloskey, Chief Scientific Officer, is a Mackenzie Fellow at the University of Melbourne and co-inventor of the core sensing technology, which he began developing during his PhD.
Eliza Rokhsat, Chief Operating Officer, draws on her background in physics, chemistry, and multiple commercialisation programs to help scale discoveries from research to market.
The team also works closely with Associate Professor David Simpson, a world leader in quantum sensing and a seasoned founder of multiple deep-tech ventures.
Chromos Labs team - Dr Daniel McCloskey, Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Nikolai Dontschuk, Chief Executive Officer and Eliza Rokhsat, Chief Operating Officer
Building momentum
Since founding, Chromos Labs has secured major wins that validate both their science and commercial potential. They were awarded an Australian Economic Accelerator Ignite grant, which is supporting the development of a scalable measurement platform. They successfully completed a Critical Technologies Challenge Program project with Tessara Therapeutics, demonstrating that their system can measure from within synthetic human brain tissue. They have also been invited to join SupaPella, an international accelerator program, dedicated to driving innovation in life sciences and health.
On the technical side, the team has achieved a repeatable, high-sensitivity fabrication process for their diamond sensors, a crucial milestone for scaling production.
With two microscopes already running in partner labs and more planned, Chromos Labs is now focused on proving its minimum viable product: showing that their system can reliably distinguish healthy from diseased neurons in human cell cultures.
TRAM and the road ahead
Chromos Labs’ journey has been closely linked to the TRAM programs, beginning with TRAM Track in 2020, progressing to Runway in 2023, and now participating in TRAM Air 2025. “TRAM has been invaluable in shaping how we think about ourselves as a company,” says Nikolai. “It pushed us to see that our product isn’t just the sensor, it’s the insights it delivers for drug discovery.”
Looking ahead to the next 12 to 24 months, the team plans to expand collaborations in Australia and internationally, validate their platform across multiple neurological disease models and prepare for a pre-seed funding round in early 2026. That capital will support further product development, manufacturing scale-up and partnerships with pharmaceutical companies.
With their quantum-diamond “neural camera,” Chromos Labs is opening an unprecedented window into the brain, one that could accelerate the discovery of new therapies and bring hope to millions affected by neurological disease.
Read more about the 2025 TRAM Air cohort
Connect with Chromos Labs:
Get in touch with Masha to learn more about TRAM Air - masha.pelipas@unimelb.edu.au