The development is based on an action observed in the immune system of insects that also face bacteria
Omnix Medical, which develops a drug against resistant bacteria, has completed a fundraising of approximately 10 million dollars since its founding. The current fundraising round was led by the investment funds Tal Capital (US) and Entrée Capital (IL) in cooperation with the CBG Group (UK) of the British businessman Vincent Tchenguiz Xenia Ventures (IL), VLX Ventures (IL) and with the support of the Innovation Authority. The company successfully completed clinical trials that proved effectiveness and safety in use, and the capital raised will allow the company to begin clinical trials on humans.
The extensive use of antibiotics over the years has led to the creation of bacterial strains that have developed resistance to the vast majority of the antibiotic drugs currently in use, and the trend continues at an alarming rate. in the future, The effect of the existing antibiotic drugs will decrease significantly as the bacteria continue to improve and develop. According to the World Health Organization, if humanity does not find new drugs against bacteria, we will reach an even more difficult situation than the current corona crisis. Experts warn that by 2050 more than 10 million people will lose their lives every year as a result of infections with resistant bacteria, more than mortality from cancer. Therefore, there is an immediate need to develop new strategies to combat resistant bacteria.
Omnix Medical was founded in 2015 by Dr. Moshik Cohen-Kutner, Dr. Niv Behanof and Rom Lakritz. You The founders conceived the unique idea for the drug from an in-depth observation of the activity of the immune system of insects against bacterial infections. Insects deal with disease-causing bacteria in their environment by means of "targeted elimination" - exploding the bacteria's envelope with the help of unique molecules that only harm bacteria and are not toxic to human cells. The company recognized the tremendous potential inherent in these molecules and is developing a technology, protected by a patent, based on their activity.
Omnix started its journey at the VLX Ventures incubator, under the management of Uri Hoshan, who invested in it at the concept stage, together with the Innovation Authority, and helped the team build the company in the early stages of the venture. The in-depth research in the company's laboratories and the experiments carried out in certified laboratories around the world have proven that Omnix's technology produces antibiotics that are significantly more effective compared to the drugs available on the market today.
The company is now planning to enter with its flagship drug, OMN6, into the phase of clinical trials in humans in order to fight against severe infections in hospitals that cause high mortality.
The drug's market potential is huge: almost all operations and processes in modern medicine available to us today depend on our ability to effectively eliminate bacteria with the help of antibiotics. Every year antibiotic drugs are taken in the amount of more than 45 billion dollars in the world.
Dr. Moshik Cohen-Kutner, CEO of Omnix: "The completion of the recruitment round allows the company to move forward in a professional and safe manner towards the next stage in the development of the drug - the clinical trials, and to bring a breakthrough and life-saving technology to the market."
Dr. Niv Behanof, Omnix Chief Scientist: "It can be said that we have adopted a natural technology that has proven itself to be highly effective in eliminating bacteria for 200 million years. We improved it with the help of Omnix's unique engineering in order to develop it as an innovative and life-saving antibiotic drug."
