New international board promises to take Omnio to the next level

Umeå-based biopharmaceutical company Omnio AB, which is currently awaiting efficacy data from preclinical wound studies using recombinant plasminogen, has recently appointed an internationally experienced board of directors charged with taking the company forward.
“Our new board's network and experience will allow us to build strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, accelerate our clinical development program and ultimately bring our wound-healing candidate to market”, says Ulrika Norin, CEO of Omnio.

The new board has a network that spans the entire world. It is made up of senior executives who have international experience of preclinical research, the manufacture of biological medicines and clinical development. Chairman of the Board Tomas Eriksson and directors Irene Agerkvist, Nathan Hore and Tor Ny are based in Sweden, while Jos van der Woert operates in the USA and Robert Al and Thomas Würdinger are located in the Netherlands.

Omnio's CEO Ulrika Norin is delighted with the new board appointments and is confident that the members’ expertise and substantial professional networks will take Omnio from the preclinical project stage to clinical validation and subsequent market approval.

“The board will complement our newly formed management team in a dynamic way. The team consists of experienced life science managers with world-leading expertise in plasminogen research, biological drug development, and regulatory expertise, as well as experts in clinical development and the advanced wound care market”, she says.

Omnio attracted approximately SEK 26 million from investors and shareholders in 2021 and 2022, which also included financial support from Vinnova - the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems - and is now preparing for a new investment round.

Omnio's drug candidate could represent a global revolution in the treatment of non-healing chronic wounds, and the treatment is attracting considerable interest around the world. This week, for example, Omnio will give a presentation on its treatment method at the European Wound Management Association annual meeting in Milan.

“We have made significant progress in our manufacturing process of recombinant plasminogen during the last few months and exciting times lay ahead of us”, says Ulrika Norin, who continues:

“At the same time as ongoing preclinical studies continue we are working intensively with our clinical development program to ensure we identify the best way to get our plasminogen-based medicines to patients”.

With the new board – with its experience and network – in place, Ulrika Norin believes the company is well-positioned to build strategic partnerships with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

“Omnio's commitment to transforming advanced wound care and improving patient outcomes permeates everyone involved in the company's development. The new board is keen to work with the company's employees, partners and stakeholders to make a significant contribution to the biotechnology industry”.

For further information, please contact:
Ulrika Norin, CEO, Omnio AB
Ulrika.norin@omnio.se

About the Board
Chairmain of the board:Tomas Eriksson, Sweden, is a seasoned executive within life sciences. Currently CEO of Sinntaxis AB, businesscoach at Smile Incubator and Medeon as well as NOME mentor
Boardmembers:
Irene Agerkvist, Sweden, 25 years of experience of pharmaceutical industry in various management and expert roles within all stages of development and manufacturing operations covering both biological and chemical substances.
Robert Al, Netherlands, active in academic technology transfer since 2003. He currently serves as the director of the technology transfer office at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Nathan Hore, Sweden, 18 years experience in the medical devices industry, building and growing innovative companies. Nathan has held several strategic leadership positions such as GM Corporate Venture for ArthroCare and VP and GM Asia Pacific for PulmonX, including V & GM for the Asia Pacific region.
Tor Ny, Sweden, founder of Omnio, senior professor in Medical Biochemistry, specialized in the role of plasminogen in the wound healing.
Jos van der Woert, Netherlands/USA, is a senior executive with extensive pharmaceutical and leadership experience, especially in the field of Oncology. Founder and president of OncoLogics LLC.
Thomas Würdinger, Netherlands/USA, is a molecular cell biologist and serial entrepreneur who became professor at the age of 35.

About Plasminogen:
Plasminogen is an abundant endogenous protein produced by the liver and circulates through-out the body via the bloodstream. Plasminogen is the pro-enzym of the protease plasmin. Originally discovered for its fibrinolytic properties and function in dissolving blood clots, its function in wound healing has more recently been described. Through animal studies it has been shown that plasminogen is involved in the initiation, resolution, and proliferative phases of the inflammatory process during wound healing and a lack of plasminogen severely disrupts the normal wound healing cascade.

About Omnio AB:
Omnio AB is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of new drug products based on the pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effects of the protein plasminogen. Omnio focuses on developing recombinant plasminogen for chronic wound healing, where initial physician-led studies of patients with chronic wounds have shown great potential. Our ambition is to change today's wound healing treatment and provide an effective alternative to patients where effective bioactive treatment is lacking.