Mitoguarder enhances the production of biological medicines with innovative technology

Biological medicines are used to treat many common diseases, including diabetes, cancer and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis However, the production of these medicines is slow and expensive, as it takes place in living cells. Over time, these tiny cell factories become stressed. They are no longer able to produce proteins that act as biological medicines, such as insulin, in the same quantities.

However, a solution may soon be available. Research Director Brendan Battersby and Postdoctoral Researcher Sarah O’Keefe from the University of Helsinki’s Institute of Biotechnology (HiLIFE) are building on years of research into rare genetic diseases and developing a technology to improve the functioning of cell factories.

“We have figured out a way to modify cells to relieve their stress and make them able to produce biological medicines for much longer,” Battersby says.

The application potential of the new technology is extensive. In addition to manufacturing medicines, it could be used in other areas where proteins produced by cell factories are needed – for example, in biotechnology, disease diagnostic laboratories and academic research. To patent the promising technology, the team is now validating it in the Mitoguarder project.

16 academic laboratories ready for a pilot

The innovation has already aroused interest around the world, with 16 academic laboratories in Europe and in the United States contacted by the team having announced their willingness to test the new technology. This group includes Harvard Medical School, the University of Cambridge, and the Institut Pasteur in France.

“Problems in protein production arise in small-scale basic research as well as in the pharmaceutical industry,” O’Keefe explains.

At the beginning of 2024, Mitoguarder received Research to Business funding from Business Finland to prepare the commercialisation of the innovation. At that time, Laura Juhola, Commercialisation Specialist of the Mitoguarder project, and Tania Quirin, leader of the scientific implementation, both joined the project team. The main goal is now to benchmark the technology against other products on the market, using data collected in-house and from academic pilot laboratories.

“This will demonstrate the many benefits of the Mitoguarder technology,” Quirin sums up.

The market for biological medicines is growing rapidly

The commercial potential of the innovation is huge. In recent years, a key trend within the pharmaceutical industry has been a shift towards biological medicines. In 2022, their market size was already estimated at more than 460 billion dollars. Biological medicines can offer solutions to many difficult-to-treat diseases and have fewer whole-body adverse effects. However, their high production costs are holding back market growth worldwide.

“The Mitoguarder technology eliminates this bottleneck, making biological medicines easier to produce,” says Juhola.

The idea for the invention was originally born in summer 2023 from the combination of two different perspectives: while the Battersby lab studies diseases related to cell metabolism, O’Keefe is an expert in protein synthesis and has worked also as a medicinal chemist. As the two brainstormed research ideas, the discussions led to a new innovative insight.

Towards discussions with customers and investors

The Mitoguarder team plans to pilot their technology with academic laboratories in the autumn of 2024. The goal is to connect with academics as well as biotech and pharmaceutical companies interested in enhancing biological medicine production. The team is also building their investor networks, both locally and abroad.

“We want to establish a spinout,” Battersby says.

However, Mitoguarder does not aim to become a producer of biological medicines. The company’s product would be a tool that pharmaceutical companies, researchers and other customers could easily use by integrating it with their existing production pipelines.

“It is a new, widely applicable technology that can be used to improve cell function and boost the production of biological medicines,” Battersby reiterates.