Novo Nordisk has found a buyer for cell therapy technologies dropped in its retreat from the modality. Aspect Biosystems has taken the other side of the deal, acquiring rights to the assets and giving Novo an option to reengage for later-stage development and commercialization.
Denmark’s Novo partnered with Aspect in 2023. Flying high as demand for its GLP-1 drugs took off, Novo paid $75 million and committed up to $2.6 billion in milestones to work with Aspect on bioprinted tissue therapeutics for diabetes and obesity.
Novo’s Ozempic and Wegovy later lost momentum, leading new CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar to back away from some of the bets the company made in the boom years.
The drugmaker ended all work on cell therapies, including a Type 1 diabetes program, in October and exited a Heartseed deal around the same time. Novo’s retreat from the modality created an opportunity for Aspect, which has acquired rights to Novo’s stem-cell-derived islet cell and hypoimmune cell engineering technologies.
Novo is helping bankroll Aspect’s development of the assets, investing in the company and providing research funding. The arrangement gives Novo a chance to profit from the programs down the line. Novo is eligible for royalties and milestone payments on future product sales and, having handed the reins to Aspect for now, can expand its role in later-stage development and commercialization.
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As part of the agreement, Aspect will integrate some of Novo’s cell therapy research, development and manufacturing capabilities and expertise into its operations. The integration will involve the transfer of capabilities and expertise from Novo sites in Denmark and the U.S. to Aspect’s Canadian operations.
Aspect said the transfer will strengthen its end-to-end capabilities and expand access to highly skilled talent. Danish publication Borsen reported last year that Novo was laying off 250 people as part of the closure of its cell therapy unit. At the time, Novo said it was in the process of identifying partners with the right capabilities and manufacturing capacity to further develop its innovations.
The Aspect deal secures the future of Novo’s diabetes cell therapy work. The cell therapy unit’s activities included work on Parkinson’s disease and chronic heart failure (CHF). Novo, which has refocused on diabetes and obesity under Doustdar, is yet to reveal new homes for the Parkinson’s and CHF programs.
