OncoRevive

OncoRevive is a Melbourne, Australia-based biotechnology company developing a high-sensitivity liquid biopsy platform for cancer detection and treatment monitoring. Rather than focusing on circulating tumour DNA fragments, the platform targets circulating tumour cells (CTCs), which the company describes as intact cells carrying proteins, RNA and intact DNA. The test is delivered as a reagent kit that is mixed with a patient's blood sample to detect tumour signals such as DNA and proteins, with AI-assisted analysis producing results in under two hours rather than the roughly two weeks the company attributes to sequencing-based liquid biopsies.

The company frames its product against three gaps it identifies in current liquid biopsy: limited sensitivity at Stage I and II when tumour shedding is low; single-category biomarker readouts (DNA only or protein only) that do not support dynamic treatment monitoring; and high capital and per-test costs that restrict adoption. Its website cites relative targets of 4x lower cost, 20x faster turnaround, 3x more comprehensive multiomic analysis and 20x less capital equipment. Two product lines are described: a research-use-only kit for universities and clinics, and a diagnostic kit.

Breast cancer is the lead indication, with planned expansion into colorectal and ovarian cancers and a longer-term ambition of multi-cancer early detection from a routine annual blood draw. The company states it has completed a clinical proof-of-concept on human cancer patient samples and that its core technology is patented.

Founding story

Co-founders Dr. Samira Sadeghi and Dr. Mohammad Tavakkoli met during doctoral studies at the National University of Singapore in 2015, sharing backgrounds in cancer biology and nanobiotechnology and personal experience of losing loved ones to cancer. Sadeghi has said her path into cancer research began when her father died of the disease four months after diagnosis, when she was 20. The pair founded OncoRevive in late 2023; Sadeghi, an Iranian scientist who had studied and worked in Singapore, arrived in Australia in 2023.

Business model

OncoRevive develops and intends to commercialise diagnostic products in two forms: a research-use-only kit aimed at universities and clinics, and a regulated diagnostic kit intended for clinical use. The reagent-kit and spectroscopy-based workflow is positioned to be run in local clinical labs and pathology labs rather than a single centralised facility.

Sales of test kits are the stated route to market: a research-use-only kit for research customers and a diagnostic kit pending regulatory approval. The company has said it is in discussions with insurance companies about including the test in coverage plans, targeting a price of about $1,000 per test versus the $4,000-$5,000 it attributes to existing liquid biopsies.

Traction

The company states it has completed a clinical proof-of-concept, testing its technology on human cancer patient samples and demonstrating the ability to identify biomarkers on circulating tumour cells and to differentiate cancer patient samples from healthy donors. As of September 2025 it had tested 100 patient samples in the US and was collaborating with universities for biobank access to validate across cancer stages, populations and laboratories, with a goal of expanding to 700 patients to support FDA and TGA submissions. Its core technology is described as fully patented; it reports no peer-reviewed publications to date, citing an IP-first strategy and offering data review under NDA.

Latest developments

The company was selected in August 2026 for the TechCrunch 2026 Startup Battlefield 200. It is expanding validation toward a 700-patient sample set in pursuit of US FDA and Australian TGA approval, working with university biobanks, and planned to release its research-use-only kit in 2026 with regulatory approval for the diagnostic kit targeted for 2028.