

Mojgan Najafzadeh
OncaNova
Dr. Mojgan Najafzadeh is an Assistant Professor in Medical Science with a passion for bringing cancer-treatment technologies to market. Over the past 15 years in the medical technology sector, she has engaged deeply with multifaceted projects. In 2011, she worked on the Lymphocyte Genome Sensitivity (LGS) assay project. As part of efforts to bring the LGS assay to market, she helped launch a spin-out company named OncaScan. This venture successfully secured funding amounting to £1,400,000, which was instrumental in enhancing the assay's capabilities. This initiative has enabled her to play a pivotal role at every stage, starting from its initial conception and advancing through various phases, including rigorous research and development, patenting processes, and ultimately launching the product into the competitive marketplace. Now Mojgan is turning her efforts to developing OncaNova’s diagnostic and treatment platform. The proprietary miRNA of OncaNova directly selectively kills cancer cells, spares healthy tissue, and triggers “danger signals” that alert the immune system. OncaNova is uniquely positioned to become a category-defining biotech, with first-in-class potential across multiple cancer types.
About the Enterprise

Cancer remains one of the greatest challenges of modern medicine. Despite progress, many patients still face late diagnosis, limited treatment options, treatments with severe side-effects, tumour resistance to existing drugs, and limited global accessibility to effective treatments.
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OncaNova has discovered two novel microRNAs (miRNAs) with a dual-action capability to treat cancer. The first action is to suppress cancer-driving pathways and reduce tumour growth. The second action is to stimulate immune cells to recognise and destroy cancer cells, offering long-term protection and relapse prevention. Unlike conventional gene or cell therapies, OncaNova’s approach is non-viral, scalable, cost-efficient, and minimally invasive.
Over the next 5-10 years, OncaNova aims to develop breakthrough miRNA-based cancer therapeutics and vaccines that are safe, globally affordable, and capable of transforming quality of life for patients with hard-to-treat cancers.
Achievements
& Highlights
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OncaNova reached the top 5% (729 entries in the ‘University’ category) in the 2025 Santander X Award pitching competition.
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First-in-class discovery of two novel therapeutic miRNAs
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Dual-mechanism: Direct tumour kill + immune activation
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Non-viral delivery platform under development with global partners
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Powered by cutting-edge genomics, immunology, and AI-driven analytics
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Led by clinicians, scientists, biotech innovators, and strategic advisors


