Eternygen

Eternygen GmbH is a biopharmaceutical company established in June 2012, operating from Berlin, Germany. The firm was founded by a collective of scientists from German universities and academic institutes, alongside experienced entrepreneurs from the venture and industrial sectors. Among its founders are Marco Janezic, who serves as the Managing Director, and Prof. Dr. Med. Andreas Birkenfeld, a key scientific founder and a recognized authority in the company's core research area. Janezic brings a background in investment banking and management consultancy, with extensive experience in founding and managing companies across various sectors, including biotechnology. Birkenfeld's expertise in diabetology, endocrinology, and nephrology provides the scientific foundation for the company's pursuits.

Eternygen operates on a virtual business model, leveraging a network of contract research organizations and industry experts to advance its development programs. This B2B-focused model allows the company to remain lean while accessing world-class drug discovery and development platforms, notably through a significant collaboration with Evotec AG. The company's primary objective is to develop and market novel small molecule inhibitors for the treatment of dietary-related metabolic diseases. Its research zeroes in on the sodium-coupled citrate transporter (NaCT), also known as INDY (I’m Not Dead Yet), a critical regulator of energy metabolism implicated in conditions like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), diabetes, and obesity. By inhibiting NaCT, Eternygen aims to address the root metabolic failures that lead to these widespread diseases.

The company's lead candidates have demonstrated a therapeutic effect on glucose metabolism and hepatic lipid oxidation in preclinical animal models. These small molecule inhibitors have shown the ability to reverse NASH in diet-induced mouse models by significantly reducing liver injury, hepatic triglyceride accumulation, and intrahepatic immune cells. In January 2017, Eternygen successfully closed a Series A financing round of €8.0 million, led by Epidarex Capital and with participation from Evotec AG and other investors. This was followed by a Series A2 funding round in October 2020, which raised an additional €5 million to advance its lead candidate toward IND-enabling studies. The company has patented several SLC13A5 inhibitors, which have shown promise in preclinical studies for improving lipid metabolism and reducing conditions like hepatic steatosis and hypercholesterolemia.

Keywords: metabolic diseases, drug development, NaCT inhibitors, INDY target, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), small molecule inhibitors, biopharmaceutical, preclinical development, virtual biotech, citrate metabolism, Evotec collaboration, Marco Janezic, Andreas Birkenfeld, energy metabolism, obesity treatment, diabetes research, lipid metabolism, SLC13A5 inhibitors, preclinical studies