AS-005 · Cardiometabolic Disease & Obesity
Restoring Healthy Cell Metabolism Through Mitochondrial Modification
An oral once-daily small molecule for cardiometabolic diseases — entering Phase 1 clinical studies at AKH Wien in autumn 2026.
Now Enrolling · Autumn 2026
First-in-Human Phase 1 Studies of AS-005
Astrizi Therapeutics is conducting Phase 1 clinical studies with AS-005 at the Medical University of Vienna / AKH Wien to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics profile in volunteers with obesity.
SITE
AKH Wien
START
Autumn 2026
PARTICIPANTS
Volunteers with obesity
CRO
Raffeiner Studien Monitor
Developing a new class of oral cardiometabolic therapies
Astrizi Therapeutics GmbH is an Austrian clinical-stage biotechnology company headquartered in Knittelfeld. We are advancing AS-005 from preclinical completion through Phase 1 and beyond, supported by a network of leading European scientific and clinical partners.
Our mission is to address the root cause of cardiometabolic disease — mitochondrial dysfunction — with a well-tolerated, once-daily oral tablet that complements, rather than competes with, incretin-based therapies such as GLP-1 receptor agonists.
<25%
Weight loss in DIO mouse model
40x
2026
2045+
The Science
A fundamentally different mechanism
AS-005 is a metabolic modifier that stabilises the mitochondrial membrane potential, reduces reactive oxygen species, restores oxidative phosphorylation, and normalises the electron transport chain — addressing cardiometabolic disease at the level of cellular bioenergetics.
Mitochondrial Repair
Restores electron transport chain function rather than exploiting mitochondrial dysfunction. Unique among clinical-stage metabolic candidates.
Broad Cardiometabolic Profile
Preclinical data demonstrate simultaneous improvements in body weight, HbA1c, fasting glucose, insulin, LDL cholesterol, inflammation markers and hepatic steatosis.
Oral Once-Daily Tablet
Reproducible dosing, scalable GMP manufacture and patient-friendly administration.
Orthogonal to GLP-1 agonists
Where GLP-1 and GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonists modulate satiety signaling — and are associated with GI side effects in 40–70% of patients and one-year discontinuation rates up to 58% — AS-005 operates at the cellular bioenergetic level. This orthogonal mechanism positions AS-005 both as a monotherapy for patients intolerant of incretins and as a rational combination partner for existing therapies.
pipeline
A fundamentally different mechanism
Target Indications
Target Indications
CORE TEAM
Leadership
Astrizi Therapeutics is led by a small, hands-on Austrian team combining medical expertise with entrepreneurial experience in product development and commercialisation.
Dr. Roswitha Kortschak
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Kortschak is a dual-qualified Austrian physician, holding both a general medicine licence (Ärztin für Allgemeinmedizin) and specialist certification in internal medicine (Fachärztin für Innere Medizin). She holds additional ÖÄK diplomas in continuing medical education, school medicine, and sports medicine, and is a certified emergency physician (Notarzt). She operates contracted general-practice surgeries in Judenburg and Knittelfeld in Styria, where she has built a reputation for pragmatic, evidence-led patient care across the full spectrum of primary and chronic-disease management.
Ish Khanna PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Ish Khanna is an innovative scientist with a proven record of leading global cross-functional discovery teams from concept to clinic and market. He is co-inventor of Celebrex and of multiple clinical candidates across therapeutic areas, with a strong background in drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, IP strategy, and building PK/PD correlations for drug molecules. He is a strategic thinker experienced in building risk-balanced portfolios spanning First-in-Class, Best-in-Class, and drug-repositioning programmes, and holds a long track record of issued US patents on small-molecule therapeutics.
Ish is co-founder of Astrizi Bio and NephroDI Therapeutics. Earlier in his career he held senior technical and executive leadership positions at Searle, Pharmacia, Pfizer, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, and Kareus Therapeutics.
Konstantin Kortschak
Head of Business Development
Konstantin Kortschak is an Austrian entrepreneur from Styria with hands-on experience building and operating a regulated consumer-health business. In 2021 he founded Majik Produktions u. Vertriebs GmbH, where he serves as sole managing director and 100% shareholder, and developed the Mäjik Immun Booster product line — a vitamin and mineral health beverage distributed through Austrian pharmacy and health-retail channels.
Science
Prof. Florian Kiefer
Translational Research
Associate Professor of Medicine and Head of the Endocrine Outpatient Clinic at AKH Wien / MedUni Vienna; past President of the Austrian Obesity Association. Expert in metabolic disease, adipose tissue biology and translational endocrinology.
Prof. Michael Wolzt
Clinical
Professor at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, MedUni Vienna; Head of the Cardiovascular Medicine Working Group and 2nd Deputy Head of Department. Internationally recognised investigator for early-phase pharmacokinetic and first-in-human studies.
Dr. Anika Schroeter
Toxicology
Independent non-clinical and toxicology consultant (Dr. Anika Schroeter e.U.); Dr. rer. nat. in Chemistry & Toxicology, University of Vienna. Specialises in IND-/CTA-enabling tox packages, nitrosamine and impurity assessment, and regulatory toxicology strategy.
Rajeev Gokhale PhD
CMC
Pharmaceutical CMC and drug-product development expert specialising in amorphous solid dispersions, formulation science and oral bioavailability enhancement. Advises on chemistry, manufacturing and controls strategy for the AS-005 programme.
Business & Strategy
Marcus Malkmus
Strategy
Seasoned entrepreneur and operator across biotechnology, health products and cleantech; COO of Astrizi Bio and Director of Hestia Investments. Focused on scaling early- to mid-stage life-science companies and structuring operational, financial and governance frameworks.
Kathrin Kortschak
Strategy
Dr. Leonid Shapiro
Strategy
Partners
MedUni Wien
Clinical Site
Medical University of Vienna and AKH Wien — one of Europe’s largest university hospitals and the clinical site for the AS-005 first-in-human Phase 1 study, with established Phase 1 infrastructure and experienced investigator teams.
Raffeiner Studien Monitor
CRO
Die Mag. Andreas Raffeiner GmbH ist ein österreichisches Unternehmen, spezialisiert auf das Projektmanagement und Monitoring von klinischen Arzneimittel- und Medizinproduktestudien
Phase 1 Volunteer Registry
Join the AS-005 Phase 1 Study
We are pre-screening volunteers with obesity who may be interested in participating in the first-in-human Phase 1 study of AS-005 at AKH Vienna, starting autumn 2026. Registration is non-binding. A member of the study team will contact you with further details before any formal screening visit.
- Adults aged 18–55 years
- Otherwise generally healthy, no significant chronic medication
- BMI 30 < 40
- Non-smoker, or willing to abstain during the study
- Able to attend visits at AKH Wien