Quell Therapeutics to Present CAR-Treg Data at Upcoming International Congresses

Quell Therapeutics Ltd, a prominent developer of engineered T-regulatory (Treg) cell therapies for immune system-driven conditions, has announced its participation in the upcoming 2024 European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT) 31st Annual Congress in Rome, Italy, from October 22-25, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) The Liver Meeting in San Diego, CA, from November 15-19. The company will present both oral and poster sessions at these events, discussing significant advancements in their lead CAR-Treg candidate, QEL-001, which aims to induce donor-specific tolerance in liver transplant patients.

The ESGCT congress will feature an oral presentation on October 24, 2024, detailing the progress of the LIBERATE clinical trial. This study focuses on the safety and efficacy of QEL-001 in liver transplant patients. Results from the safety cohort have shown that QEL-001 is well tolerated, with cell persistence observed up to six months post-infusion and stable phenotype maintenance through FOXP3 and HELIOS expression. Liver biopsy analyses have confirmed the product's trafficking, engraftment, and phenotypic stability in the transplanted organs.

Following the successful completion of the safety cohort, Quell is moving forward with the efficacy cohort of the Phase 1/2 LIBERATE trial. This next phase will continue to evaluate QEL-001's potential to induce operational tolerance in liver transplant recipients, potentially reducing the need for long-term immunosuppressive medications.

In addition to the oral presentation, Quell will also deliver a poster presentation at ESGCT on October 23, 2024. This session will focus on the development of a differentiation process to generate Treg cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The in vitro data demonstrate that these iPSC-derived Tregs have stable identity, functionality, and potent suppressive activity. This advancement is crucial for the future development of allogenic cell therapies to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Quell is collaborating with Cellistic, a company specializing in immune cell therapy development and manufacturing based on human iPSC technology, to further develop this platform.

At The Liver Meeting, Quell will present a poster on November 16, 2024, showcasing the safety and tolerability of QEL-001 in liver transplant patients. The poster presentation will highlight findings from the safety cohort of the LIBERATE study, underscoring the therapy’s potential to establish a new standard in liver transplantation by minimizing the need for chronic immunosuppression.

Quell Therapeutics, based in London, UK, is at the forefront of developing Treg cell therapies. The company leverages its unique Foxp3 Phenotype Lock™ technology and multi-modular platform to create highly engineered Treg cell therapies with enhanced persistence, potency, and stability. These advances are aimed at addressing serious immune system-driven conditions. In addition to its lead candidate QEL-001, Quell is developing other programs targeting neuroinflammatory and autoimmune diseases, both independently and through partnerships, such as its collaboration with AstraZeneca.