IEO European Institute of Oncology

What IEO European Institute of Oncology does

IEO European Institute of Oncology (Istituto Europeo di Oncologia) is a private non-profit Comprehensive Cancer Center (IRCCS) headquartered in Milan, Italy, integrating fundamental and translational cancer research with clinical care. The Department of Experimental Oncology (DEO) hosts approximately 250 scientists across approximately 20 independent research groups and research units, with operations spanning the IEO Hospital on Via Ripamonti 435 and additional offices at Via Filodrammatici 10, Via San Luca 8, and Via Adamello 16. The institute is chaired and directed by Prof. Pier Giuseppe Pelicci, who concurrently holds academic leadership positions at the University of Milan, the European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM), and Alleanza Contro il Cancro (ACC).

The institute's core technology stack includes mass spectrometry-based proteomics (Orbitrap-hybrid instruments with custom DDA/DIA workflows and the QProMS analysis platform), cryo-EM, CRISPR-based genetic perturbation, single-cell transcriptomics, organoid models, and patient-derived xenografts. Proprietary methodological assets include StemPrintER (a prognostic test for breast cancer stem cells), ChroP (combining ChIP with mass spectrometry for chromatin proteomics), and QProMS (an R-based quantitative proteomics analysis tool). The institute is co-located with IFOM and the Italian Institute of Technology on the Milan campus and is a member of the EU-LIFE Alliance of leading European life science institutes.

Revenue is generated through three streams: clinical services delivered at the IEO Hospital, public research grants from Italian Ministry of Health, MIUR, AIRC, and ERC, and donations through the Italian 5x1000 (Cinque per Mille) tax designation scheme. The institute's primary "customers" are cancer patients receiving clinical care, with secondary stakeholders including academic collaborators and pharmaceutical/biotech partners running clinical trials and translational research. The DIMA Centre and Technology Transfer Office (IEO-TT) formalize translational pathways between research outputs and clinical or commercial applications.

Name

IEO European Institute of Oncology

Legal name

Istituto Europeo di Oncologia

Website

https://research.ieo.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The IEO European Institute of Oncology is a non-profit Comprehensive Cancer Center in Milan, Italy, integrating translational cancer research across approximately 20 independent research groups and 250 scientists with clinical care at the IEO Hospital.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Comprehensive Cancer Center

NAICS

Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (622310), Offices of Physicians (62111), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospital-Integrated Cancer Centers (Acute Oncology Programs) (HLAFAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oncology & Cancer Specialty Hospitals (HLAFAHAC), Ambulatory Oncology Centers (Outpatient Chemo/Radiation) (HLAFABAI), Oncology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAA)

Keywords

• Cancer research services
• Translational oncology
• Clinical cancer care
• Biomedical research
• Cancer diagnostics

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. 5x1000 Tax Donations: In Italy, taxpayers can designate 0.5% of their income taxes to non-profit organizations including IEO through the Cinque per Mille (5x1000) scheme, which supports research, innovation, and treatment.
2. Public Research Funding: Funding from Italian Ministry of Health, MIUR (Ministry of University and Research), and other government bodies including AIRC (Italian Association for Cancer Research) and ERC (European Research Council) grants.
3. Clinical Services Revenue: Revenue from clinical activities conducted at the IEO Hospital on Via Ripamonti, including patient care, diagnostics, and clinical trials.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IEO European Institute of Oncology is a Comprehensive Cancer Center in Milan, Italy that integrates fundamental and translational research with clinical care and clinical trials. The Department of Experimental Oncology (DEO) hosts approximately 250 scientists across ~20 independent research groups and technological units, conducting cancer research, proteomics, genomics, and drug development. Clinical activities are delivered at the IEO Hospital on Via Ripamonti, providing cancer diagnosis, treatment, and clinical trial access to patients.

Product overview

The European Institute of Oncology (IEO) is a Comprehensive Cancer Center that integrates fundamental and translational research with clinical care. The Department of Experimental Oncology (DEO) hosts approximately 250 scientists across independent research groups and technological units. The core research infrastructure includes Mass Spectrometry (Q Exactive HF, EASY-nLC 1200, EASY-Spray), Flow Cytometry, Imaging and Screening, Genomics, Molecular and Digital Pathology, Data Science, Biochemistry and Structural Biology, and Preclinical Drug Testing Units. The institute's primary analytical software offering is QProMS for proteomics data analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Cancer Care Services Comprehensive cancer diagnosis, treatment, and clinical care delivered at the IEO Hospital on Via Ripamonti in Milan, including access to clinical trials for cancer patients.
• QProMS (Quantitative Proteomics Made Simple) An R-based algorithm for search engine-independent quantitative proteomics data analysis and visualization, developed by the Mass Spectrometry Unit at IEO.
• StemPrintER Prognostic Test A transcriptional profile-based prognostic test for breast cancer stem cells, developed by the Hormone-Related Cancers and Stem Cell Pathobiology Unit at IEO.
• Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Services State-of-the-art mass spectrometry-based proteomics services utilizing Orbitrap-hybrid mass spectrometers with bottom-up workflows (DDA, DIA) for clinical sample profiling, including solid tissues and liquid biopsies.

Quantifiable outcome

• IEO alumni now serve as Principal Investigators, Institute Directors internationally, and in industry leadership positions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Milan (Unimi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Milan is a key academic partner of IEO, collaborating on research programs, PhD training through SEMM, and sharing faculty and students.
• European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEMM is a PhD school co-founded/partnered with IEO; Pier Giuseppe Pelicci serves as President of SEMM. Joint PhD programs and research training.
• Alleanza Contro il Cancro (ACC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of 27 cancer research hospitals promoted by the Italian Ministry of Health. Pier Giuseppe Pelicci serves as Scientific Director of ACC.
• Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIT is co-located on the IEO campus in Milan and collaborates on research programs, computational biology, and technology development with IEO researchers.
• EU-LIFE AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIEO is a member of EU-LIFE, a network of leading European life science institutes committed to promoting research excellence. The alliance facilitates postdoctoral exchanges and collaborative programs.
• FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFOM is co-located on the IEO campus in Milan, creating a vibrant scientific ecosystem. Researchers collaborate across the two institutes on cancer research.
• EurOPDX (European Organoid Platform)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network focused on patient-derived tumor models (organoids and PDX) for cancer research, in which IEO participates as a member.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• IFOM (FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology): Co-located on the IEO Milan campus, IFOM is a molecular oncology research institute with comparable research model (independent group leaders, fundamental research, technology platforms). It is IEO's closest research peer and frequent collaborator.
• Institut Gustave Roussy: Leading European comprehensive cancer center in France, combining research with clinical care at scale. Comparable in integrating fundamental/translational research with hospital operations and clinical trials.
• Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI): European comprehensive cancer center integrating research and clinical care, with similar IRCCS-equivalent structure, prestigious research output, and academic hospital model. Directly comparable in scale and mission.
• Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO): Spain-based translational cancer research institute co-located with Vall d'Hebron University Hospital. Highly comparable in model: research-anchored, hospital-integrated, premium talent, EU-funded.

Broad incumbents

• German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ): Largest European biomedical research institute with a major cancer focus. Comparable in scale, German public funding model, and integration of basic/translational research, though broader in scope than IEO.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Premium US comprehensive cancer center integrating research and clinical care. Comparable in mission and scientific output, though substantially larger and more commercially developed than IEO.
• Francis Crick Institute: UK-based biomedical research institute with multiple EMBO-affiliated PIs and interdisciplinary labs. Comparable in talent caliber and EU-LIFE-style alliance participation; precedent for IEO PIs (e.g., Paola Scaffidi came from Crick).
• Karolinska Institute: Swedish medical university with integrated research and clinical operations at Karolinska University Hospital. Comparable in combining research with academic hospital care; broader in scope than IEO's oncology focus.

Others

• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Pan-European intergovernmental research organization in molecular life sciences. Comparable in EU research alliance model, technology platform approach, and talent flywheel; complementary rather than competitive to IEO.

Regional players

• European Institute for Biomedical Research (IRCCS, Italy): Alleanza Contro il Cancro (ACC) network of Italian IRCCS cancer research hospitals, of which IEO is a member. Comparable in IRCCS structure, public funding model, and Italian research/clinical integration framework.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ieo-european-institute-of-oncology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IEO European Institute of Oncology