EU backs Israeli antibiotic developer with €8 million grant to combat deadly superbugs
Omnix Medical will lead a European consortium aimed at accelerating late-stage development of its experimental treatment for drug-resistant hospital infections.
An Israeli biotechnology company has secured approximately €8 million ($9.15 million) in funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe program to accelerate development of an experimental treatment for some of the world's most dangerous drug-resistant bacterial infections.
Jerusalem-based Omnix Medical will coordinate the newly launched PEPTAMR consortium, bringing together clinical, scientific and academic partners from Austria, Greece, France and the Netherlands to advance the late-stage development of OMN6, the company's lead antimicrobial candidate.
The consortium will focus on infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), which the World Health Organization classifies as a critical-priority pathogen. According to the company, the bacterium is associated with mortality rates of up to 60% and has few effective treatment options.
OMN6 is currently being evaluated in a Phase II clinical trial involving patients with severe Acinetobacter baumannii infections. The Horizon Europe grant will support accelerated patient recruitment across Europe, additional pharmacology studies, lung penetration research in healthy volunteers, development of infection models to optimize dosing and explore additional indications such as sepsis, and work on a stable manufacturing process designed to support Phase III development.
The consortium includes the Medical University of Vienna, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the European Clinical Research Alliance on Infectious Diseases (Ecraid) in the Netherlands, and France's Vivexia.
OMN6 is an antimicrobial peptide designed to physically destroy bacterial cell membranes rather than targeting specific biochemical pathways. According to Omnix, the compound is based on naturally occurring insect-derived antimicrobial peptides and is intended to treat multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.
Related articles:
- Omnix Medical raises $25 million Series C to tackle drug-resistant infections
- Israeli biopharma startup Omnix Medical awarded €10.8 million from EU to fight drug-resistant bacteria
- Omnix Medical completes $8.5 million round to develop next-generation antibiotics for treatment of life-threatening infections
CEO Dr. Moshik Cohen-Kutner said the award marks the second Horizon-funded program supporting OMN6, adding that the collaboration is intended to shorten the time required to bring the therapy to market.
Founded in 2015, Omnix has previously received support from the European Union, the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Israeli Innovation Authority for the development of its antimicrobial technology.
