iOnctura Selected for an Oral Presentation at 2019 AACR Annual Meeting

GENEVA, Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- iOnctura SA, a late stage preclinical immuno-oncology company, announced today that its abstract (abstract # 1781) entitled "Preclinical development of a novel, highly selective PI3Kδ inhibitor, IOA-244, for the treatment of solid malignancies" has been selected for an oral presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019 which will take place from 29^th March to 3^rd April in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Zoë Johnson, Chief Scientific Officer at iOnctura will present on Monday, 1st April 2019, between 3pm to 5pm EST at the Georgia World Congress Center. The presentation will be part of the session "Novel Therapeutic Agents and Screening Approaches" under the category "Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics".

iOnctura is developing next generation, potentially first-in-class molecules with dual therapeutic potential in cancer and fibrotic indications. Its lead program, IOA-244, is a highly selective, next generation PI3Kδ inhibitor developed as a novel, 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 2019.

iOnctura's second program, IOA-289, is a novel autotaxin (ATX) inhibitor being developed as a potentially first-in-class targeted therapy for solid tumors that over express ATX and are subject to lipid mediated immune suppression, as well as cancer-associated fibrosis and as a therapy for organ specific fibrosis. IOA-289 has demonstrated preclinical proof-of-concept in models of cancer and fibrosis and is expected to enter the clinic in 2020.

The AACR Annual Meeting program covers the latest discoveries across the spectrum of cancer research—from population science and prevention; to cancer biology, translational, and clinical studies; to survivorship and advocacy—and highlights the work of cancer experts in research and medicine from institutions all over the world.

About iOnctura

iOnctura, a biotechnology company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, was founded in June 2017 as a spin out from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Cancer Research UK, and seed funded by M Ventures. The company is developing a focused pipeline of potentially first-in-class molecules that harness both immune-mediated and direct anti-tumor activity.

The company's lead program is entering the clinic in 2019 aiming to demonstrate proof of concept as a monotherapy and in combination in selected oncology indications. iOnctura's broader pipeline additionally targets complementary mechanisms in cancer and fibrosis, addressing organ-specific and cancer-associated fibrosis.

SOURCE iOnctura