OMEICOS Therapeutics GmbH

OMEICOS Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases including atrial fibrillation. The company's novel therapeutic strategy is based upon the discovery of natural CYP-P450 generated metabolites of omega-3 fatty acids, so called epoxyeicosanoids. This new class of bioactive lipid mediators activates type specific cellular endogenous pathways that can be therapeutically deployed in inflammatory, cardiovascular, and other diseases. OMEICOS has discovered a series of metabolically robust synthetic analogues of omega-3 fatty acid derived epoxyeicosanoids. These small molecules are orally available and show significantly improved biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties compared to their natural counterparts. The first development project makes use of the strong anti-arrhythmic effect of the compounds for the development of an oral therapy for atrial fibrillation. In contrast to all other anti-arrhythmic drugs that act almost exclusively via direct inhibition of ion channels, OMEICOS'​ substances activate an endogenous cardio-protective signalling pathway that not only stabilizes the heart rhythm, but also provides curative effects to the diseased organ by preventing its electrical and structural remodelling. OMEICOS was founded as a spin-off from the Max-Delbrück-Center in Berlin. Its technology is based on ground breaking scientific results in the field of omega-3 fatty acid metabolism and physiology obtained by the companies' founders Drs. Wolf-Hagen Schunck, John. R. Falck, Dominik Müller and Robert Fischer.