Mitera Biosciences: Harnessing Maternal Immunity to Revolutionize Treatment

Bellevue-based startup Mitera Biosciences has emerged from stealth mode with $1.75 million in initial funding, poised to transform how we treat autoimmune diseases and organ transplant rejection. The company’s innovative approach draws inspiration from one of nature’s most remarkable biological phenomena: the way a mother’s immune system tolerates a developing fetus without rejection. This natural process, which has evolved over millions of years, may hold the key to more effective and less harmful immunotherapies.

At the heart of Mitera’s technology is a specific protein naturally expressed by the placenta during pregnancy. While the company keeps the protein’s exact identity confidential, they have revealed that it originates in both the thymus gland and placenta, playing a crucial role in immune regulation. The protein works through a sophisticated dual mechanism: it strengthens regulatory T cells (Tregs), which protect the body’s own tissues from immune attack, while simultaneously suppressing effector T cells (Teffs), which typically lead the assault against perceived invaders. “Our focus is really going back to nature and the human maternal-fetal relationship,” explains Kevin Chow, Mitera’s co-founder, CEO and president. “We’re trying to leverage what our bodies do naturally to help us with immuno-tolerance.” This biological balancing act is precisely what allows a mother’s body to host a genetically distinct fetus without triggering rejection, making it an ideal model for developing new immunotherapies.

The potential impact of Mitera’s approach extends far beyond scientific elegance. Current treatments for autoimmune conditions and transplant rejection rely heavily on broad immunosuppressant drugs that often create a dangerous trade-off. While these medications prevent the immune system from attacking transplanted organs or the body’s own tissues, they simultaneously cripple the body’s ability to fight infections and frequently cause severe side effects with long-term use. Patients often face a difficult choice between rejection and immunosuppression-related complications. Mitera’s protein-based therapy aims to solve this dilemma by selectively modulating specific immune pathways rather than broadly suppressing immune function. By mimicking the body’s natural mechanisms of tolerance, the company hopes to develop treatments that prevent harmful immune responses while preserving beneficial ones, potentially eliminating the serious side effects associated with current therapies.

Mitera’s leadership brings together an impressive combination of entrepreneurial experience and scientific expertise. CEO Kevin Chow is a seasoned biotech entrepreneur who previously co-founded Vitaeris, a company focused on kidney transplant rejection treatments that was later acquired by CSL Behring. His experience in bringing immunology innovations to market provides a solid foundation for Mitera’s commercial development. The scientific direction comes from co-founder Dr. Stanley Jordan, a 40-year veteran of nephrology and transplant immunology who serves as medical director of the Kidney Transplant Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. S. Ananth Karumanchi rounds out the founding team as lead scientific advisor, bringing his extensive research experience in pregnancy-related hypertension and cardiovascular disease in kidney patients. This combination of business acumen and scientific depth positions Mitera uniquely in the competitive immunotherapy landscape. The startup currently operates with seven employees, conducting lab work both at Cedars-Sinai and through Contract Research Organizations while maintaining headquarters in Bellevue, Washington.

The company’s initial funding comes primarily from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, which is exclusively licensing the intellectual property to Mitera. This $1.75 million investment was structured as a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE), allowing Cedars-Sinai to receive a stake in the business as it develops. This arrangement reflects growing interest from medical research institutions in commercializing their scientific discoveries through dedicated startups rather than traditional licensing to established pharmaceutical companies. The partnership with Cedars-Sinai provides Mitera not only with funding but also with continued access to world-class research facilities and expertise, potentially accelerating the development timeline for their therapies. According to Dr. Jordan, the decision to pursue this specific protein as a therapeutic agent was driven by its fundamental role in immune system regulation: “We felt it would be an important agent to investigate as a potential therapeutic,” he explained, highlighting the protein’s unique ability to influence both protective and aggressive immune responses simultaneously.

While Mitera’s initial focus appears to be on transplant rejection—a natural fit given Dr. Jordan’s expertise—the company sees much broader applications on the horizon. The mechanisms that allow maternal immune tolerance during pregnancy potentially apply to numerous autoimmune conditions where the body inappropriately attacks its own tissues. “The biology underlying Mitera’s pursuit is really new,” Chow noted, adding that while there’s clear potential for treating transplant patients, the therapy “could be used for so many bigger, broader diseases out there, and that’s really exciting.” This expansive vision could eventually position Mitera’s technology as a platform for addressing conditions ranging from rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis to type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease—all conditions where immune system dysregulation plays a central role. By looking to one of nature’s most sophisticated immune balancing acts for inspiration, Mitera is charting a course toward treatments that work with the body’s natural systems rather than against them, potentially offering millions of patients a more effective and less burdensome approach to managing chronic immune conditions.