Pioneering Cell Therapy Trial for Autoimmune Disease Begins in Oxford
First patients recruited for innovative engineered nTreg therapy trial at Oxford Experimental Medicine Clinical Research Facility.
By Laura Medhurst
••3 min read
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Generic image of a medical vial with blurred laboratory equipment in the background.
The Oxford Experimental Medicine Clinical Research Facility (EMCRF) has begun a pioneering early-phase trial using an innovative engineered cell therapy for severe autoimmune diseases, recruiting its first patients.
Sponsored by Quell Therapeutics, the CHILL trial is investigating a new engineered nTreg therapy for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). This marks the first time Oxford has conducted an engineered cell therapy trial for autoimmune disease outside of a haematology-oncology setting.
Two participants have been recruited at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust, following the first patient being dosed at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are specialised immune cells that help prevent the immune system from attacking the body's own tissues and control inflammation. Quell Therapeutics has engineered these cells with a CD19 B-cell activated receptor, creating a therapy designed to target inflammation sites, restore immune balance, and reduce harmful immune activity.
The trial's setup and recruitment were accelerated through a coordinated approach involving Quell Therapeutics, the UKCRF Network, and participating facilities, including the Oxford EMCRF, part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research Clinical Research Facility: Oxford, and the NIHR Industry Hub. New patient pathways were developed locally to support the study's delivery, with close collaboration from OUH’s Clinical Haematology department and its Advanced Cellular Therapy (ACT) team, as well as OUH’s Pharmacy Clinical Trials Unit and the ACT pharmacy team.
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"Administering the cell therapy to our first patient was a significant milestone for the study team. We are only the second site globally to do so. After many forms, and rigorous safety checks along the way, the patient received their dose, which took around 10 minutes. The nursing team reported the patient tolerated it well and was discharged home the following day."
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"We are delighted to work with our colleagues at the EMCRF on the CHILL trial and are very pleased that the first OUH patient has now been treated. In haematology we are very aware that cellular therapies are moving beyond purely haematological indications and we are keen to support the delivery of these treatments. This necessitates close working with colleagues in different specialties, and sharing the significant medical, nursing and pharmacy expertise which we in haematology have developed over many years using cellular therapies in our routine practice."
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"People living with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis dream of a cure. CAR-T cells, which kill disease-causing cells, have emerged as therapies that may help reset damaged tissues. But CAR-T cells kill; they do not regulate. We believe engineered nTregs - natural regulators of tissue immune responses - could achieve safe, deep and durable disease control and move us closer to the prospect of a cure."
