Allogeneic cell therapy hasn’t caught up to autologous cell therapy yet, and the disappointing data so far has soured the entire allogeneic field for at least one venture capitalist. The cell therapy debate was one of the topics covered during a panel discussion at the Biopharm America conference.

A Bayer cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease has met primary and secondary goals of its first test in humans, and the pharmaceutical giant is now planning for a larger Phase 2 clinical trial expected to begin enrollment in the first half of next year.

Imugene gains global rights to Precision BioSciences’ most advanced program, an allogeneic cell therapy for advanced cases of blood cancer. Precision will now focus on in vivo gene editing therapies, some of which is partnered with Novartis and Eli Lilly.

Turnstone Biologics isn’t the only cell therapy biotech focused on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. With $80 million in IPO cash, it can continue clinical trials that could show whether its approach to TILs has advantages.

Tenpoint Therapeutics’ name refers to the time it takes for an image to hit the retina and be processed by the brain. The regenerative medicine startup is developing cell therapies it hopes restore that vision capability for patients with degenerative eye disorders.

CellTrans’s Lantidra is now the first FDA-approved cell therapy for type 1 diabetes. The therapy is made from islet cells sourced from deceased donors.

Eli Lilly is expanding its diabetes prospects by acquiring cell therapy developer Sigilon Therapeutics. The two companies are already partners in the development of a type 1 diabetes cell therapy currently in preclinical development.

Arcellx attributes the death to limitations of the treatments that patients receive while their cell therapies are being manufactured. The company is working to expand these so-called bridging therapy options for patients.

2seventy Bio reported that an acute myeloid leukemia patient treated with its experimental cell therapy has died, prompting research partner Seattle Children’s Research Institute to pause the Phase 1 study. The FDA has been notified and an investigation is underway.

During the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a cell therapy posted clinical data that could broaden its use in multiple myeloma. In other developments, the class of drugs called ADCs continue to make progress and a novel brain cancer drug has Phase 3 data that support its use as a new treatment option.

AstraZeneca is paying $85 million to kick off an alliance with Quell Therapeutics focused on developing new cell therapies for autoimmune diseases. Type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease are the focus of the research collaboration.

Multiple efforts are underway to improve cell therapies for cancer. During the MedCity News INVEST conference in Chicago, a panel discussed the future of cell therapies and what the industry doing to manage the financial risks of these new treatments.

Companies presenting their technology at the conference seek to support a diverse patient population spanning conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, food allergies, and cancer. Cell, gene therapy and immunotherapies also form some of their treatment approaches in development.

Ending access and outcomes disparities in HCT and cell therapy will require a collaborative effort, from clinicians, associations and non-profit organizations in the hematology/oncology, HCT and cell therapy communities to policy makers and payers

Johnson & Johnson is acquiring rights to two next-generation cell therapies from Cellular Biomedicines, both potential treatments for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. One therapy is already in the clinic while the other is on track to begin human testing this year.

The FDA approved Omisirge, an allogeneic cell therapy from Gamida Cell that could improve access to stem cell transplants as treatments for blood cancers. The biotech makes its therapy from umbilical cord blood.

A panel discussion at the annual Abarca Forward conference in Puerto Rico last month sought to identify some of the innovative financial approaches that can be applied to managing the high price of novel therapies. Conversations also addressed what payers need for these financing models to be sustainable.

VintaBio manufactures AAV and lentiviral vectors for entities pursuing clinical development of cell and gene therapies. The contract development manufacturing organization’s launch comes as demand for viral vectors continues to outpace the supply of these crucial components of the therapies.

Regeneron is paying Sonoma Biotherapeutics $75 million to begin a partnership focused on developing cell therapies based on regulatory T cells, or Tregs. Each company brings technological capabilities to the alliance, which is initially focused on ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Adaptimmune and TCR2 Therapeutics have complementary technologies and an aligned strategy of developing cell therapies for solid tumors, but this marriage is preceded by divorce. Before consummating the TCR2 deal, Adaptimmune ended an alliance with a larger pharmaceutical company.

Cargo Therapeutics is developing CAR T-cell therapies that overcome ways cancers evade currently available treatments. True to its name, the startup’s approach involves putting more cargo and more complex cargo onto engineered T cells.

While Talaris Therapeutics is ending two clinical tests of its cell therapy in kidney transplant patients, a third study in the autoimmune condition scleroderma is continuing. Meanwhile, the biotech’s restructuring plan is pursuing “strategic alternatives” that could include a merger or sale.

Syena, the latest company formed by startup creator Replay, is developing cancer treatments based on a type of immune cell called a natural killer cell. This NK cell therapy technology, licensed from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, could overcome many of the limitations facing first-generation cell therapy.

Vector BioMed has developed a technology platform for designing and manufacturing the lentiviruses used to deliver cell and gene therapies. The startup is launching as the field continues to experience shortages of these viral vectors.

Cell therapy offers a treatment option for some advanced blood cancers, but the manufacturing process is lengthy and complex. The biopharmaceutical industry is working on various technologies that could make manufacturing faster and more efficient, or perhaps supplant the current process altogether.

The first regulatory approval of an allogeneic cell therapy goes to Atara Biotherapeutics. Other regulatory news highlights from the past week include proposed reforms of the FDA’s accelerated approval process, approval of the first gene therapy for bladder cancer, and a clinical hold for a biotech developing a new class of medicines.

Kite, the cell therapy unit of Gilead Sciences, is adding more tools to its cell therapy toolbox with the acquisition of Tmunity Therapeutics. It’s the company’s second cell therapy deal this month, following a partnership announced with clinical-stage Arcellx.

2023 is shaping up to be a crucial year for everyone involved – and affected – by the pharmaceutical industry. It’s likely to be a year of experimentation for payers – and defensiveness for drug makers.

AstraZeneca is jumping into the chase for cell therapies that address solid tumors by acquiring Neogene Therapeutics. The startup’s technology can be used to discover and develop novel targets that may be able to broaden the scope of cell therapies for cancer.

As gene sequencing, machine learning, powerful imaging, sensors, gene and cell therapies make their way out of academic labs into everyday healthcare, our approach to healthcare is changing. For the first time, not only can we pinpoint the molecular and genetic causes of disease, but we also have the technologies to access them. On the back of this, prevention and cures are becoming possible. Can we afford them?