Ona Therapeutics

Ona Therapeutics is a private biotechnology company headquartered in Barcelona, Spain. It was founded in 2019 as a spin-off from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), building on research into the biology of metastasis-initiating cells and the role of lipid metabolism in cancer progression. The company's scientific foundation centres on the discovery of targets that support the survival and spread of tumour cells, with a particular focus on how cancer cells exploit lipid uptake and metabolism. Ona Therapeutics develops antibody-based therapeutics, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), directed at these novel targets. Its lead programmes are designed to attack metastasis-initiating cells and to deliver cytotoxic payloads selectively to tumours, an approach that sits at the intersection of immuno-oncology and targeted payload delivery. The company positions itself as a discovery-stage biotech with a differentiated target portfolio rather than a commercial-stage pharmaceutical manufacturer. As a private, venture-backed company, Ona Therapeutics has raised financing from life-science investors and public innovation programmes to advance its pipeline toward clinical development. It operates in the highly competitive oncology research field, where success depends on validating novel biology, securing partnerships, and progressing candidates through preclinical and early clinical stages. The company remains active and is based in the Barcelona biomedical research ecosystem.

Ona Therapeutics was established in 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, as a spin-off from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA). The company was created to translate academic research on metastasis-initiating cells and lipid metabolism in cancer into new therapeutic candidates. Its scientific founders had investigated how tumour cells take up and use lipids to sustain growth and dissemination, work that pointed to previously unexploited targets for intervention. From its inception, Ona Therapeutics focused on antibody-based modalities, particularly antibody-drug conjugates, to selectively target and kill metastasis-initiating cells while sparing healthy tissue. This approach aims to address a central problem in oncology: the persistence of cells that seed new tumours and drive relapse. The company built a pipeline of discovery-stage programmes around these targets and assembled a team with expertise in antibody engineering, cancer biology, and drug development. As a private company, Ona Therapeutics has financed its growth through venture capital and public innovation funding, operating within the Barcelona biomedical cluster that includes research institutes, hospitals, and other biotech firms. It has not yet brought a product to market; its value proposition rests on the novelty of its targets and the potential of its ADC platform. The company remains active and continues to advance its preclinical programmes toward clinical development, while the broader oncology field watches for validation of metastasis-initiating cell biology as a therapeutic strategy.

• 2019

  Ona Therapeutics founded in Barcelona as a spin-off from IRB Barcelona and ICREA.

Discovery-stage oncology biotechnology company focused on novel cancer targets and antibody-drug conjugates.

• Antibody-drug conjugate programmes

  Discovery-stage ADCs targeting metastasis-initiating cells and novel cancer targets.

1. 1Ona Therapeutics advances as a clinical-stage company and appoints Aleix Prat, MD, PhD, as Chief Medical Officer - Institute for Research in Biomedicine | IRB Barcelonanews.google.com
2. 2ONA Therapeutics Appoints Dr Michel Detheux as Independent Chair to Board of Directorsprnewswire.co.uk
3. 3ONA Therapeutics appoints Mark Throsby to its Board of Directorsprweb.com