Dr. Ashwin Jainarayanan

Dr. Ashwin Jainarayanan is a British Indian synthetic immunologist and the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Granza Bio, an Oxford spinout developing a novel cancer therapeutic delivery platform. A Clarendon Scholar at the University of Oxford, he completed his DPhil (PhD) in Interdisciplinary Bioscience, specialising in the immunological mechanisms of cytotoxic T cells and their application in cancer therapy. He was subsequently selected as a Schmidt Science Fellow, one of the most competitive postdoctoral fellowships in the world, recognising outstanding interdisciplinary researchers.

His doctoral research in Professor Michael Dustin's lab at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Oxford, focused on characterising 'attack particles' — supramolecular structures secreted by T cells that can selectively target and kill diseased cells. Recognising the therapeutic potential of this discovery, Ashwin co-founded Granza Bio in 2024 alongside Dr. Ashwin Nandakumar and Professor Dustin. The two Ashwins entered Y Combinator's Winter 2024 batch and built out the company's scientific platform, which develops engineered delivery shells to direct attack particles and other therapeutic cargo to specific tissues with precision.

Granza Bio raised an oversubscribed $7.14 million seed round in July 2024, led by Felicis and Refactor Capital, with Y Combinator participation. The company is advancing lead programmes targeting multiple cancer types, including ovarian, brain, lung, and skin cancers, drawing on Ashwin's deep expertise in immunological mechanisms and translational bioscience.