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About Us

Algiax Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company established in 2011.
It is dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative products to treat diseases with a high unmet medical need.

Algiax’ lead candidate AP-325 is a small-molecule GABAA receptor modulator in clinical development as a therapy for neuropathic pain.

Next to AP-325 Algiax has discovered novel GABAA receptor modulator compounds called Thioacrylamide (ThAc) derivatives. The company is advancing a selection of ThAcs derivatives from its discovery to preclinical characterization.

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Dr. Ingo Lehrke | Chief Executive Officer

Ingo joined the team in early 2019 as CEO and leads the company’s strategy, financing, and corporate development. He has many years of experience in building and managing biotech companies, with a strong focus on neuropathic pain and CNS disorders. Before joining Algiax, Ingo held senior management roles in the life science industry, where he was responsible for business development, partnerships, and the advancement of innovative drug candidates toward clinical development. He combines deep scientific understanding with transaction and fundraising expertise and a proven track record of collaborating with investors and pharmaceutical partners.

Dr. Guido C. Koopmans | Chief Scientific Officer

From the start Guido was responsible for all R&D activities within Algiax, together and in close collaboration with Dr. Birgit Hasse he brought Algiax to the point where it is today. Guido is one of the co-founders of Algiax and is most and for all a scientist with proven technical and managerial experience in the areas of pre-clinical drug discovery and development. He has experience in a GLP, GMP and GCP environment and has highly developed knowledge of most areas of pharmaceutical development from target to Clinical Phase II. He is results driven with an entrepreneurial mindset. Guido is a PhD, with a master degree in Biological Health Science.

Dr. Birgit Hasse | Head of CMC and QA

As a co-founder of Algiax, Birgit was from the beginning accountable for all drug substance and drug product activities from preclinical development, manufacturing and formulation development through clinical material supplies for all clinical registration studies. Birgit has 20 years of experience in drug development and profound knowledge of the pharmaceutical and clinical regulatory environment under ICH, GCP, GMP and GLP and is responsible for the quality assurance of all activities across the portfolio/clinical development. Birgit is a PhD, with a master degree in Biology.

Daniel Gau | Chief Business Officer

Daniel joined Algiax in 2025 as Chief Business Officer, bringing over 25 years of life sciences expertise spanning research, corporate strategy, and business development. He held senior roles at Merck Group in global marketing and business development, and at Fresenius Medical Care as Senior Director External Ventures, where he focused on regenerative medicine, oncology, and cell replacement therapy. Most recently, Daniel supported healthcare company building and investor partnerships as VP Product Development at 2 Bridge, and founded Beyond Sciences, providing training and development concepts to young life science professionals. Dr. Gau combines deep scientific knowledge with an entrepreneurial mindset and hands-on experience across R&D, corporate strategy, and alliance management.

Stefan Fischer  Finance and Transaction Advisor

Stefan Fischer has a degree in Business Administration and more than 15 years of experience in the life science and biotech industries. Stefan was previously the CFO of NewLab BioQuality, the biopharmaceutical analytics company founded by Dr. Schumacher, which was acquired by a large US company.

Advisory Board

Dr. Jürgen Schumacher

Jürgen Schumacher is a renowned entrepreneur. Jürgen co-founded QIAGEN in 1984 and served as member of Qiagen´s management board until 1993. Later he co-founded Evotec, Vivoscience, Algiax Pharmaceuticals as well as other biotech and life science companies. Jürgen has more than 35 years experience in the industry and is a member of numerous biotech associations and is a consultant for the biotechnology activities of North Rhine Westphalia.

Prof. Dr. med. Claudia Sommer

Claudia Sommer is a Professor of Neurology at the University of Würzburg, Germany, with a focus on peripheral neurology and pain. She received training in neurology, psychiatry, neuropathology, and experimental anaesthesia. At the University of Würzburg, she serves as a consultant in neurology, organizes outpatient clinics for patients with peripheral neuropathies, headache and pain, and leads the Northern Bavarian Neuromuscular Centre and the Peripheral Nerve Laboratory. Research interests are neuropathic pain, the fibromyalgia syndrome, and the pathophysiology of antibody-mediated diseases. She has written more than 250 original research papers and more than 100 reviews and book-chapters and edited several books. She is active in the development of national and international guidelines on diagnosis and treatment of peripheral neuropathies, and on neuropathic pain. She is a reviewer for scientific journals, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals. She is a longstanding member of the Peripheral Nerve Society (PNS) and a Board Member of the Inflammatory Neuropathy Consortium (INC), as well as Chair of the Teaching Course Subcommittee of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN). As of Jan 2019, she is President of the German Pain Society and President elect of the International Society for the Study of Pain.

Dr. Klaus-Dieter Langner

Klaus-D. Langner holds a Ph.d. in Molecular Biology from University of Cologne. He has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Klaus started his career as research scientist at Behringwerke AG in 1986. In 1998 he joined Gruenenthal GmbH, where he worked 10 years as Head of Research. In 2013 Klaus was appointed to the Corporate Executive Board of Gruenenthal GmbH as Chief Scientific Officer where he stayed until 2018.

R & D Overview

AP-325

Algiax Pharmaceuticals has discovered AP-325, a unique proprietary small molecule drug compound, to treat neuropathic pain. AP-325 acts as a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of the GABAA-receptor. GABAA receptor PAMs work via allosteric modulation: they do not bind at the same active site as the natural ligand Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) but affect the receptor by binding at a different site on the protein.

Algiax Pharmaceuticals has discovered AP-325, a unique proprietary small molecule drug compound, to treat neuropathic pain. AP-325 acts as a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of the GABAA-receptor. GABAA receptor PAMs work via allosteric modulation: they do not bind at the same active site as the natural ligand Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) but affect the receptor by binding at a different site on the protein.

GABAA is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Upon binding, it triggers the GABAA receptor to open its chloride channel to allow chloride ions into the neuron, thus hyperpolarizing the cell and inhibiting the transmission of the nerve action potential, thereby blocking the neuropathic pain inducing pain signal, a mechanism that is strongly enhanced under influence of AP-325. AP-325 is designed to treat a large group of neuropathic pain patients and does not penetrate the brain as such there are no sedative actions that limit their use. Consequently, AP-325 as a non-opioid has a significantly lower potential for addiction or abuse and is truly unique because it is non-sedative, not centrally active and has a long-lasting efficacy.

Contact

Adress

Mettmanner Straße 25
Gebäude 9
40699 Erkrath

Mrs. Martina Zmugg

Team Assistant


Phone  +49 211 617 851 0

E-Mail: info@algiax.com

Imprint

Information pursuant to § 5 TMG

Algiax Pharmaceuticals GmbH
Mettmanner Straße 25
Gebäude 9
40699 Erkrath

Commercial Register: HRB 23420
Registration Court: Wuppertal

Represented by:
Dr. Ingo Lehrke, Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Guido Koopmans, Chief Scientific Officer

VAT ID: Sales tax identification number according to § 27a of the Sales Tax Law: DE815282049

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