Quell Therapeutics achieves key milestone with AstraZeneca deal

10 June 2025

UK privately-held T-regulatory (Treg) cell therapies developer Quell Therapeutics today revealed that pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) has selected a lead Treg cell therapy candidate to progress from the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) program.

As a result of this new research milestone being achieved, AstraZeneca has exercised its exclusive option to license the potential therapy for further development and commercialization, resulting in a payment to Quell of $10 million. Under the terms of the accord between the companies, Quell is eligible for further milestone payments of up to $2 billion.

The associated payment marks the second milestone achieved by Quell under its 2023 collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca to develop, manufacture and commercialize autologous, engineered Treg cell therapies for two immune-mediated disease indications – IBD and type 1 diabetes (T1D). The first milestone payment was triggered in November 2024 following the selection of a lead Treg cell therapy candidate in the T1D program.

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