Autoimmune disorders have still nowadays difficulties in finding a proper therapy, despite the science progress. But a unique approach could be take place with the help of the therapeutically specific PIM kinase inhibition targeting patients suffering with complex autoimmune disorders. This is what a Swiss startup Mysthera Therapeutics is trying to do advancing a portfolio of pre-clinical stage thanks to the founding investor Forty51 Ventures, a Basel-based venture capital firm with its core strategy focused on company formation and early-stage investments in biotech.

Mysthera Therapeutics AG advances its portfolio of pre-clinical stage

Mysthera Therapeutics AG, a company developing first-in-class, oral therapeutics to treat complex autoimmune diseases, launched with $3.5 million seed capital from founding investor Forty51 Ventures. The capital will be used to advance its portfolio of pre-clinical stage, pan-PIM kinase inhibitors to uniquely modulate multi-lineage immune cell functions. Mysthera’s founding management team and board of directors brings considerable experience, leadership and a successful track record across research and development.

Autoimmune diseases impact over 23 million patients in US alone. Despite recent progress and novel treatment options, significant unmet needs remain due to poor response rates and adverse safety profiles of currently available treatment medicines. But with PIM kinases Mysthera Therapeutics could make a difference. PIM kinases are gateway kinases in multiple immune cell lineages (including B and T effector cells) driving excessive inflammation. Elevated PIM kinase may further contribute to the formation and maintenance of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) which are associated with disease severity and progression.

How PIM kinase works in the inflammation context

As it is reported by Labiotech, Mysthera Therapeutics explains the PMI kinase therapeutic involvement:

“In this inflammatory context PIM carries critical, non-redundant functions in the differentiation and function of effector T and B cells. Specifically, PIM have been shown to be involved in plasma cell differentiation, which is the effector type producing destructive auto-antibodies in many autoimmune diseases. On the T cell side, PIM drives pathogenic effector types, like Th1 and Th17, while at the same time suppressing tolerogenic regulatory T cells”.

Moreover, the company said, the fact that PIM is induced preferentially at the site of inflammation, and that it is modulating rather than shutting down the immune system, means that, as a therapy, it should be safer and better tolerated than current approaches.

 Darren Cunningham, co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Mysthera Therapeutics said: “Leveraging our deep expertise in PIM kinase and immunology, we are pursuing a highly differentiated approach to tackle complex autoimmune diseases. We believe this will result in new treatments to change the lives of patients globally”.

Sources:
https://mystheratx.com/press-release-21-8-23/ 

Mysthera’s PIM kinase approach: a new hope for autoimmunity (labiotech.eu)