Onicor Appoints Antifungal Pioneer Piet De Doncker, PhD, as CEO to Advance Personalized Treatment for Fungal Nail Infections

Developer of itraconazole pulse therapy to lead Onicor's personalized nail orthosis for onychomycosis, a common and hard-to-treat condition, into its next phase

TILBURG, the Netherlands, 21 October 2026 – Onicor, a medical technology company developing a personalized treatment for onychomycosis (fungal nail infection), today announced the recent appointment of Piet De Doncker, PhD, as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. De Doncker succeeds co-founder Ronald van der Geest, PhD, who led the company from its inception and will continue to support the research of Onicor.

Dr. De Doncker brings more than three decades of experience in antifungal and dermatology drug development. At Janssen Research & Development in Beerse, Belgium, now part of Johnson & Johnson, he played a leading role in developing itraconazole pulse therapy for onychomycosis, a one-week-per-month oral dosing regimen that became a widely used treatment option for fungal nail infections. He went on to hold senior R&D leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson, including leading its dermatology R&D team and serving as Vice President, Head of Strategy and Portfolio Management, Infectious Diseases. He has also worked in antifungal research and development at STADA. Dr. De Doncker holds a PhD from the University of Antwerp and has authored more than 30 scientific publications on the treatment of fungal infections.

■  A personalized approach to a persistent problem

Onychomycosis is one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide, affecting an estimated 5 to 10 percent of the general population and up to 50 percent of people over the age of 70. It is also notoriously difficult to treat. Topical nail lacquers struggle to penetrate the hard nail plate. Oral antifungals require months of treatment and carry a risk of side effects and drug interactions. And after treatment, the infection returns in 10 to 53 percent of patients.

Onicor is developing a personalized nail orthosis to address these limitations. The orthosis is a thin, custom-fit cover designed from a 3D scan of the patient’s own nail and produced by 3D printing. Fitted over the infected nail, it keeps an antifungal solution in close, continuous contact with the nail plate while shielding the nail from the outside environment. The goal is to deliver the drug locally, where the fungus resides, in order to improve treatment efficacy and patient adherence, reduce reliance on systemic medication and lower recurrence rates.

Onicor operates under an ISO 13485-certified quality management system and works with leading industry and academic partners, including scientific advisors from Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

“Fungal nail infections cause years of discomfort and embarrassment for many patients, and too often treatment does not lead to a lasting cure,” said Dr. De Doncker. “I have worked on this disease for much of my career. Onicor’s personalized nail orthosis brings medical device engineering and clinical mycology together in an approach designed to tackle the core limitations of today’s treatments. I look forward to working with the team and our partners to bring this innovation to patients and healthcare professionals.”

“Piet is one of the pioneers in the treatment of fungal nail disease,” said Dr. van der Geest. “His work on itraconazole pulse therapy helped shape how onychomycosis is treated today, and he knows from experience what it takes to bring a new treatment from clinical development to patients. As Onicor prepares for its next development milestone, that combination of clinical and commercial insight is exactly what the company needs. I am proud of what our team has built and confident that Piet is the right leader to take Onicor forward.”

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■  About onychomycosis

Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of the nail, most often affecting the toenails. It is mainly caused by dermatophytes such as Trichophyton rubrum. Infected nails become thick, discolored and brittle and may separate from the nail bed. The condition becomes more common with age and is more frequent in people with diabetes. It rarely resolves on its own, and beyond physical discomfort it often affects patients’ confidence and quality of life.

■ About Onicor
Onicor is a Dutch medical technology company based in Tilburg, the Netherlands, developing technology-driven, personalized solutions for onychomycosis. By combining biomedical engineering, medical mycology and clinical expertise, Onicor is developing next-generation nail orthoses that enhance local antifungal delivery directly where it is needed. Together with leading industry and academic partners, Onicor aims to bring safe and effective solutions to patients and healthcare providers worldwide. For more information, visit www.onicor.nl.

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• Onicor appoints Piet De Doncker