Quell Therapeutics Showcases QEL-001 and Treg Therapy at ASGCT Annual Meeting

Quell Therapeutics Ltd, an innovator in engineered T-regulatory (Treg) cell therapies for immune system-driven medical conditions, is set to present new findings on its QEL-001 therapy and Treg cell therapy platform at the 2024 American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) meeting in Baltimore. The presentations will focus on the potential of QEL-001 to enhance targeting, durability, and suppressive functions necessary for treating liver transplant patients.

Nathalie Belmonte, Senior Vice President of Research & Translation at Quell Therapeutics, highlighted QEL-001's design as an autologous engineered Treg therapy aimed at inducing donor-specific tolerance in liver transplant recipients. This therapy is intended to address the shortcomings of previous clinical approaches. Belmonte emphasized that the preclinical data to be shared at ASGCT demonstrate QEL-001's targeted delivery to the liver graft via CAR expression, its maintenance in an immune-suppressive state through Foxp3 Phenotype Lock™, and its durable immunoregulatory effects in a humanized model of xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease (xenoGvHD). These findings underpin the therapy’s therapeutic efficacy and safety.

Belmonte also noted that additional promising data supporting the clinical potential of Quell’s multi-modular Treg cell therapy platform will be presented. This platform forms the basis for QEL-001's design and provides a robust scientific foundation for Quell's approach to engineered Treg cell therapies. The initial clinical findings from the ongoing Phase 1/2 LIBERATE trial further validate these desired characteristics.

Two key presentations will be made at the ASGCT meeting. The first is an oral presentation titled "Chimeric Antigen Receptor Engineered Tregs with Donor Specificity and Enhanced Functional Stability for the Induction of Liver Transplantation Tolerance," scheduled for May 11, 2024. This presentation will be delivered by Madhav Kishore, PhD, Principal Scientist at Quell Therapeutics, and will discuss the specific targeting and functional stability of engineered Tregs in promoting liver transplant tolerance.

The second presentation is a poster session titled "Engineering Tregs with a CAR, Phenotype Lock™ and Synthetic Cytokine Signaling Improves Their Potential as a Cellular Therapy for Various Immune Conditions," scheduled for May 10, 2024. This session will be presented by Evanthia Nikolopoulou, PhD, Senior Scientist at Quell Therapeutics, and will explore the enhancements made to Tregs that improve their potential as cellular therapies for a range of immune conditions.

Quell Therapeutics is renowned for developing advanced Treg cell therapies that capitalize on their immune-suppressive properties to treat serious immune system-driven conditions. The company utilizes its pioneering phenotype lock™ technology, a unique multi-modular platform, and integrated manufacturing capabilities to create a pipeline of highly engineered Treg cell therapies. These therapies exhibit greater persistence, potency, and stability compared to earlier generations of Treg cell therapies.

QEL-001 is Quell’s lead candidate, designed to induce operational tolerance post-liver transplantation, potentially eliminating the need for chronic immunosuppressive medications while protecting the transplanted liver. Alongside QEL-001, Quell is also progressing other programs targeting neuro-inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.