Quell and Cellistic partner to develop cell therapy platform

The aim of the collaboration is to support the expansion of Quell’s autologous T-regulatory (Treg) cell therapy pipeline using Cellistic’s knowledge of iPSC processes.

Under the terms of the deal, Quell Therapeutics and human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology development and manufacturing firm Cellistic will take part in joint research to form a process for differentiating iPSCs into functional Treg cell therapy products.

According to Quell, it will contribute its Treg expertise and technologies, as well as characterizing Treg cells, while Cellistic will be responsible for the iPSC process science and development activities.

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“Part of Quell’s strategy to leverage and complement its existing autologous Treg cell therapy platform and pipeline, adding the potential to develop off-the-shelf (allogeneic) Treg cell therapies and extend the reach of such therapies to more patients with a broader range of diseases driven by immune dysregulation,” a spokesperson for Quell told BioProcess Insider.

“Cellistic is an expert in cell therapy manufacturing, allowing Quell to expand its capabilities and scale up production.”

If the research phase is successful, the partnership will enter into a product development phase. Quell will have the exclusive rights to the jointly developed iPSC-Treg process for the advancement of various allogeneic iPSC-Treg cell therapeutics.

“Quell’s platform is designed to isolate and purify Treg cells from patients and then engineer them with additional genetic modules with specific functions, e.g. a tissue-specific CAR to localize the activity of the Treg to the site where its activity is needed; ensure the Treg doesn’t switch phenotype to an inflammatory function, which would exacerbate the immune overaction;  a safety switch to inactivate the therapy if required and other modules to boost the persistence and potency of the Treg therapy,” said the spokesperson.

Cellistic is the exclusive contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) partner for Quell’s iPSC-Treg product pipeline and continues to make investments in downstream capabilities.

Recently launched

In April 2022, Belgium-based biotech firm Ncardia launched Cellistic and claims that it is the only iPSC-based cell therapy CDMO built to produce large-scale allogeneic cell therapies.

According to Ncardia, the CDMO uses over a decade of its scientific and technical experience to support Cellistic’s capabilities for the design and optimization of manufacturing platforms for iPSC-based cells.

“Our partnership with Quell is emblematic of why we started Cellistic – to bring together our focus and expertise in the development and implementation of iPSC cell therapy platforms with companies like Quell that have an equal depth of expertise in therapeutic development and share our vision for the future of cell therapy,” said CEO at Cellistic, Stefan Braam.

This is Cellistic’s first announced collaboration.