About Us
👨👨👦👦 We are led and advised by a team of outstanding scientists and entrepreneurs, with partners around the globe supporting the need for our solution. Our technology is set to evolutionise protein production, to benefit multiple sectors globally.
💰 Our pre-spin-out operations are based at the University of Helsinki (Finland) using funds that we have successfully raised from Business Finland, The Finnish Cultural Foundation Ester and Uuno Koki Fund and the University of Helsinki.
🚀 Launched in January 2024, MITOGUARDER® is a research-driven innovation project dedicated to breaking production barriers across the biotechnology industry. We are geared to bring the benefits of our precision engineered technology to market in 2026.
Our Team
Our Story
In 2023, two scientists at the University of Helsinki (Finland) joined forces to solve a long-standing bottleneck in recombinant protein production. By combining their distinct areas of scientific expertise, Dr Brendan J. Battersby and Dr Sarah O'Keefe developed the MITOGUARDER® innovation project. Backed by several funding sources, Our Team's pre-spin-out R&D and commercialisation activities are set to evolutionise multiple sectors across the biotechnology industry.
Who Are We?
We are a diverse team of international scientists and entrepreneurs. Get to know Our Team and Board more here.
Brendan J. Battersby, PhD
Project Co-Lead
Sarah O'Keefe, PhD
Project Co-Lead
Kah Ying Ng, PhD
Senior R&D Scientist
Tania Vane-Tempest, PhD
Principal Scientist
Laura Juhola, MSc (Econ)
Commercial Lead
Our Board
Stephen High, PhD
Professor Emeritus, Biochemistry, University of Manchester (UK)
Richard Zimmermann, PhD
Professor Emeritus, Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saarland University (DE)
Joen Luirink, PhD
CSO, Co-Founder, Abera Bioscience (SE) & Department Head, Group Leader in Molecular Biology, Vrije University, Amsterdam (NL)
Murray J. Costello
Founder, Managing Director, Pineapple Nation Ltd (UK)
Terence Lewis, FRCS MBE
Chairman, Peninsula Medical Foundation (UK)
We are advised by an esteemed international Board with deep expertise in protein production, business development and chairmanship.
Our Partners & Memberships
Bottlenecks in recombinant protein production hamper academic research and knowledge discovery around the world. The need for our innovative solution is supported by leading academic researchers that have partnered with us to test our technology.
Our memberships provide us with an exclusive world of knowledge within the global pharma and biotech sectors (Oxford Global) and local access to Finland's biggest start-up community for health & life sciences entrepreneurship (Terkko Health Hub).
Our Funders
We have successfully raised funds from three sources to support our R&D program and technology commercialisation: a Finnish government agency, a private non-profit foundation and public funding.
Biotech Events
Connect with us at biotech events & discover how MITOGUARDER® technology can break through your recombinant protein production bottlenecks. Learn more about our previously attended events in News.
