Thirona and the EIC Accelerator: AI Reports for Lung Scans

Thirona, founded in Nijmegen in 2014, develops AI software that analyses chest CT scans, measuring airways, lobes and lung tissue for diseases such as COPD, cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis, and planning treatments guided by bronchoscopy. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's March 2023 cut-off and received an EU grant of €2.50 million for LungQ-Care, a €4.76 million project that ran from October 2023 to September 2025, according to CORDIS. The goal was to turn its LungQ imaging software into an end-to-end clinical decision support system that delivers structured reports to lung doctors and cuts the time to read a chest CT from 15 to 40 minutes to under five.

The final report says the system, named THOR, "evolved to a clinically validated, market-ready" decision support system: its AI models cover COPD, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis and asthma, it runs in the cloud or on hospital premises, and pilot studies "in major hospitals" confirmed its outputs were accurate and usable, according to the CORDIS reporting page. It adds that "preparatory steps for CE-marking were completed". No CE mark or commercial launch of THOR has been announced, and the report does not say whether the five-minute target was reached.

Where Thirona Stands Now

In October 2025, a month after the project ended, the FDA cleared LungQ 4, which adds finer segmentation of small airways, estimates of perfusion defects from CT and detection of endobronchial implants after treatment, according to the FDA 510(k) database and Innovation Origins. Chief executive Eva van Rikxoort said LungQ is implemented with partners "across advanced clinical systems and solutions used by physicians around the world". Thirona's website could not be reached when checked for this article in September 2026. Its revenue and headcount are not public.

The Technology: From Measurements to Decisions

Manual analysis of chest CT scans is slow and varies between readers, the report says. LungQ extracts quantitative biomarkers; THOR packages them, with quality checks and confidence scores, into structured reports in hospital formats. The objective cites an 81.5% reduction in bronchoscopic interventions under anaesthesia for COPD cases using LungQ, a figure from the company.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The award promised an end-to-end decision support system in clinical use. The system was built, integrated and piloted, according to the report. Without a CE mark it cannot be sold for clinical use in Europe, and the report names no pilot hospitals and publishes no performance figures.

1. AI model suiteDeliveredFour diseases covered.
2. Hospital integrationDeliveredCloud and on-premise.
3. Under-5-minute readingUnverifiedNo figure reported.
4. CE mark for THORNot yetPreparation only.

The Money

The EU paid 53% of the project, so Thirona contributed €2.26 million of its own. No outside funding round has been announced in the sources found for this article. The company's revenue from LungQ, which supports clinical trials and bronchoscopy planning, is not disclosed.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death and disability, the report notes. Tools that let them read lung scans faster and give lung doctors more precise information would help. Thirona has a track record of regulatory clearances; the EIC-funded product still needs its own.

The Verdict

Thirona and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.