TidalSense has raised USD$19 million to expand the commercial rollout of its artificial intelligence-powered chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnostic technology, aiming to reduce long wait times caused by the widespread shortage of traditional lung function testing.
The funding will support commercialization across the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe while advancing the company’s planned entry into the United States. It will also help expand the platform to diagnose other respiratory conditions, including asthma.
New investor Cross-Border Impact Ventures led the financing alongside returning investors BGF, Airstream Capital and Foresight Group. The company also plans to hire additional commercial and operations staff as demand grows.
The investment comes as Britain’s healthcare system struggles to diagnose COPD quickly. At least 600,000 people across the United Kingdom currently await a formal diagnosis because access to spirometry testing remains limited.
Spirometry requires patients to forcefully exhale into specialized equipment while trained clinicians supervise the procedure. Additionally, appointments can take close to an hour when preparation, testing and recovery time are included.
TidalSense developed an alternative called N-Tidal Diagnose that asks patients to breathe normally into a handheld device for just 75 seconds. The device records a carbon dioxide waveform, known as a capnogram, which artificial intelligence models analyze for signs of COPD.
Healthcare workers can learn to operate the system in about 10 minutes without specialist qualifications. Consequently, clinics can assess four to six patients each hour instead of roughly one patient using conventional spirometry.
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COPD is second-leading cause of emergency hospital admissions
COPD ranks as the third-leading cause of death in the United Kingdom. The disease kills about 30,000 people annually while costing the National Health Service approximately £1.9 billion each year.
More than half of National Health Service regions lack sufficient spirometry capacity to meet current demand. Furthermore, an estimated 1.9 million people live with COPD, including both diagnosed and undiagnosed patients.
The disease also represents the second-leading cause of emergency hospital admissions. Serious flareups requiring hospitalization often lead to poorer long-term outcomes and increase the risk of death.
TidalSense said it designed N-Tidal Diagnose to address those gaps by making testing faster and easier to access. The company’s artificial intelligence models have trained on more than 2.5 million patient breaths collected during more than a decade of research and development.
The company presented the first post-market validation study at the European Respiratory Society Congress in 2025. Researchers tested the system using a previously unseen patient group.
According to TidalSense, the technology achieved more than 90 per cent across all major measures of diagnostic accuracy during the validation study.
The software also became the first artificial intelligence COPD diagnostic device that does not rely on spirometry to receive a CE mark under the European Union’s Medical Device Regulation Class IIa in March 2025.
Subsequently, the company launched N-Tidal Diagnose within the National Health Service in September 2025. Suffolk and North-East Essex Integrated Care Board first commissioned the technology before expanding its use into NHS Wales, community lung screening clinics in southern England and Glasgow.
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COPD affects more than just smokers
Chief executive officer Dr. Ameera Patel said respiratory disease has received less attention than cancer and cardiovascular disease despite affecting roughly one in five people. However, she believes attitudes are beginning to shift as the World Health Organization recognizes COPD as a global health priority.
Patel also challenged the common perception that COPD primarily affects smokers. She said about one-quarter of cases result from air pollution and exposure to biomass fuels that millions of people still use for cooking.
She added that healthcare providers still rely heavily on diagnostic methods developed during the nineteenth century. Patel said many healthcare systems lack the specialist equipment and trained staff required for spirometry, leaving lower-income and minority communities with fewer opportunities for timely diagnosis.
Claire Greason, chief nursing officer at GP Primary Choice in North East Essex, said the organization introduced N-Tidal Diagnose last year and has found the technology simple for both patients and staff.
She explained that patients breathe normally throughout the test instead of forcefully exhaling. Additionally, that approach allows healthcare providers to assess people who cannot safely complete spirometry because of medical or practical limitations.
Greason said the shorter appointments have improved patient access while reducing barriers to diagnosis. Patients have also responded positively because the test feels easier to complete than traditional spirometry.
Staff members likewise adapted quickly to the new technology, she said. Furthermore, clinicians reported that implementation proved straightforward while improving patient experience and overall service efficiency.
The latest financing will also support development of the company’s broader diagnostic platform beyond COPD. TidalSense plans to expand its artificial intelligence models into additional respiratory diseases, including asthma.
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Company strengthened leadership team
Cross-Border Impact Ventures said its investment reflects a strategy of supporting digital health technologies capable of expanding into frontier markets. The firm’s approach aligns with TidalSense’s goal of making COPD diagnosis more accessible worldwide.
Meanwhile, the company has strengthened its leadership team ahead of its planned U.S. expansion. Andrew Wheeler joined as director of market access and public policy after previously working at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Eric Mayes also joined the board as a non-executive director. He previously served as founding chief executive officer of Endomagnetics, a University College London spinout later acquired by Hologic for USD$310 million in 2024.
In addition, Donna Parr joined the board after more than 30 years investing in technology and health technology companies. She complements an executive team that includes co-founder and chief engineering officer Julian Carter, who has overseen development of the CE-marked N-Tidal hardware platform since the company’s founding.
TidalSense joins a growing group of companies that view exhaled breath as the next frontier in medical diagnostics.
Additionally, developers are combining artificial intelligence with advanced chemical sensors and breath analysis to identify disease-specific biomarkers without drawing blood or relying on invasive procedures.
Cambridge-based Owlstone Medical has developed its Breath Biopsy platform to detect volatile organic compounds linked to conditions including lung cancer, liver disease, respiratory illness and infectious diseases.
The company also secured funding from the Gates Foundation to develop breath-based diagnostics for tuberculosis and HIV.
Meanwhile, Breath Diagnostics has its OneBreath technology for early lung cancer detection by analyzing biomarkers in a single breath sample.
The company reports promising early clinical results, although the test remains under development and has not yet received regulatory approval.
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