Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the company was founded in June 2017 as a spin-out from Merck KGaA, funded by Merck Ventures.

iOnctura is developing a pipeline of assets in oncology. The programs aim to harness both immune-mediated and direct anti-tumour activity to deliver superior clinical efficacy in monotherapy or combinations. By building on complementary mechanisms between cancer and fibrosis, iOnctura further aims to address high unmet need in fibrotic disease.

Its lead program, IOA-244, is a selective PI3Kδ inhibitor developed as a targeted therapy for solid tumors that are burdened with an immune-suppressive microenvironment and an elevated PI3Kδ signature. First-in-human studies in patients are expected to start in the first quarter of 2019.