TMCnet News
iOnctura appoints Paul Sekhri as Chair of its Board of Directors
GENEVA, AMSTERDAM and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iOnctura, a clinical-stage precision oncology company combating neglected and hard-to-treat cancers, today announces the appointment of Paul Sekhri as Chair of its Board of Directors with immediate effect. Paul’s career spans business development, corporate strategy, M&A and financing across large pharma, biotech and private equity. He has served on more than 40 public, private and non-profit boards, 18 of them as Chair. He is currently Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of vTv Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VTVT), Independent Chair of Apnimed, Inc. (Nasdaq: APMD), Chair of Resolution Therapeutics, Executive Chairman of Violet Therapeutics and is a director of Veeva Systems (NYSE: VEEV). He was Chair of Longboard Pharmaceuticals until its $2.6 billion acquisition by Lundbeck in 2024. He is an Operating Partner at Petrichor Healthcare Capital Management and an advisor to Syncona Investment Management and Epidarex Capital. He was previously President and CEO of eGenesis, Inc., and before this President and CEO of Lycera Corp. He served as Senior Vice President, Integrated Care, at Sanofi and, before that, Group Executive Vice President, Global Business Development and Chief Strategy Officer at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. Before Teva, he was Operating Partner and Head of the Biotechnology Operating Group at TPG Biotech, overseeing a portfolio of more than 50 life sciences companies. He was Founder, President and CEO of Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, President and Chief Business Officer of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, and earlier in his career spent five years at Novartis in global business development roles. Catherine Pickering, CEO and co-founder of iOnctura, said: “Paul brings an exceptional combination of biotechnology leadership, strategic vision and capital markets expertise that will be invaluable as we enter ournext phase of growth. As roginolisib advances toward Phase III development, his experience building, financing and leading innovative life science companies will help position iOnctura for long-term success. “Our ability to attract a leader of Paul’s caliber reflects both the strength of our science and the opportunity ahead. I look forward to working closely with him as we continue our mission of bringing new treatment options to patients with neglected and hard-to-treat cancers. “On behalf of the Board, I would also like to thank Dr. Mark Velleca for his contributions as Chair and wish him well for the future.” Paul Sekhri, Chair of the Board of Directors of iOnctura, said: “PI3Kd is a validated target, but first generation inhibitors could not be dosed safely for long enough to make a meaningful difference to patients. Roginolisib’s unique ability to lock PI3Kd in its inactive state is the most convincing solution to that challenge I have seen. The survival signal in uveal melanoma, where patients have very few options, underscores its potential. With two randomized studies fully enrolled, the upcoming readouts will define roginolisib’s path into pivotal development. As Chair, my focus is to ensure iOnctura has the capital and partnerships to move quickly as opportunities emerge. I have sat on a lot of boards at this stage of a company’s life, and few have had a clearer set of near-term catalysts.” For more information contact: Optimum Strategic Communications About iOnctura About roginolisib The randomized Phase II OCULE-01 study in uveal melanoma (NCT06717126) completed patient recruitment in December 2025, the PULMO-01 study in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (NCT06879717) completed recruitment in January 2026 and the HEMA-MED Phase I/II study (NCT06887803) in myelofibrosis began in November 2025 and recruitment is ongoing. 
|
