Cytely

Cytely is a cloud-based smart microscopy and image analysis platform designed to standardize and automate biological measurement workflows for researchers in life sciences. The platform targets research scientists, doctoral students, and organizations — including contract research organizations and academic institutions — who work with microscopy data across fields such as cell biology, developmental biology, drug discovery, and neuroscience. Cytely's stated mission is to accelerate scientific discovery by turning individual experiments into reproducible, reusable data assets that can be shared and reanalyzed across the broader scientific community.

The platform replaces analyst-dependent image analysis pipelines with automated, pre-validated assay workflows that produce auditable, publication-ready results. Cytely operates entirely in the cloud, requiring no local GPU, no workstation, and no complex software licensing, allowing researchers to upload images and receive quantitative outputs without writing code or managing local infrastructure.

Core Platform Capabilities

• Automated quantification: Replaces manual, analyst-dependent image analysis with reproducible, automated measurement that produces the same result regardless of analyst or site.
• Pre-validated assay workflows: Provides ready-to-deploy workflows that research teams can use from day one without custom configuration.
• Smart microscopy pipeline: Begins with a low-resolution overview scan to identify regions of interest, then autonomously directs the microscope to capture high-resolution data of critical events, performs real-time on-the-fly processing, and delivers quantitative insights alongside publication-ready figures with complete data provenance.
• No-code interface: Researchers upload images and receive results without programming or pipeline management.
• Data provenance and auditability: Every result is traceable from raw image to final output, supporting reproducibility across experiments, analysts, and sites.

Deployment and Infrastructure

• Cloud-based: All analysis runs in the cloud, eliminating the need for local GPU hardware or high-specification workstations.
• Browser accessible: Researchers can access data and analyses from any location using a standard web browser.
• Scalable storage: Large imaging datasets can be stored and processed without managing local infrastructure.
• Simple pricing: Cytely uses transparent pricing without complex software licensing arrangements.

Research Applications

• Cell Biology: Identifies and tracks cells through division and other biological events.
• Developmental Biology: Tracks developing structures through multiple cell generations with continuous monitoring.
• Drug Discovery: Analyzes cellular responses to compounds at scale through automated phenotypic screening.
• Neuroscience: Monitors neural activity and structural changes over time using real-time analysis.

Reported Performance and User Feedback

• Reported outcomes from users include a 1,000× increase in data throughput, a 75% reduction in time spent on imaging, and a 60× acceleration in insight generation.
• Users include researchers at Lund University, a leading European research university, a European contract research organization, and groups working in hematology, cancer mechanobiology, and virus biophysics.
• Cited use cases include resolving a three-year analytical roadblock in a single session by analyzing thousands of cells to distinguish transfected, infected, or co-infected populations, and enabling experiment redesign through previously inaccessible quantitative insight.
• Researchers describe benefits including elimination of analyst bias, significant time savings per experiment, improved data reliability, and the ability to work with substantially larger sample sizes.

Company Background and Vision

• Cytely is led by CEO Philip Nordenfelt, CSO Pontus Nordenfelt, CTO Johannes Kumra Ahnlide, and CPO Oscar André.
• The company's broader vision is to create a platform that enables compounding discovery — where a single observation in one laboratory can contribute to findings at a global scale.
• Cytely aims to standardize the full discovery loop, from data acquisition and analysis through to visualization and insight, converting bespoke, one-off analyses into reproducible, shareable applications.
• The platform is positioned as infrastructure for a new era of biology in which experiments become permanent, reusable assets accessible to researchers and AI systems worldwide.

Cytely is used by researchers across academic and commercial life sciences settings and is a partner of organizations in the European research community. The platform is accessible via a free trial on users' own data, with a science team available for direct consultation.