AstraZeneca enters agreement with Quell Therapeutics for autoimmune disease therapies
AstraZeneca has entered into an agreement with Quell Therapeutics to develop and commercialise engineered T-regulatory cell therapies for autoimmune diseases, including Type 1 Diabetes and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has signed an exclusive option and license agreement with Quell Therapeutics to develop multiple engineered T-regulatory (Treg) cell therapies potentially curative for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
The collaboration will leverage Quell's proprietary Treg cell engineering technology to create autologous multi-modular Treg cell therapy candidates. AstraZeneca will hold the option for further development and commercialisation of successful clinical candidates in T1D and IBD.
Iain McGill, CEO of Quell Therapeutics, stated the partnership validates their technologies and will accelerate the application of their Treg cell therapy platform in major autoimmune diseases. Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President of BioPharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, noted the collaboration expands their next-generation therapeutic options and aligns with their strategy to target underlying disease drivers.
Quell Therapeutics will receive an upfront payment of $85 million, comprising cash and an equity investment. The company is also eligible to receive over $2 billion in potential future development and commercialisation milestones, plus tiered royalties. Additionally, Quell retains an option to co-develop Treg cell therapies from the T1D program in the United States.