Novo Nordisk announced an amended agreement with Aspect, granting rights to its stem cell-derived islet cells and hypoimmune cell engineering technologies for developing a type 1 diabetes cell therapy.6
The deal includes Novo making an equity investment in Aspect, providing research funding, and receiving royalties and milestones from product sales, while retaining defined rights for later-stage development.6
This follows Novo's October 2025 decision to exit cell therapy, resulting in layoffs of nearly 250 employees and termination of its type 1 diabetes program.6
Novo's move aligns with new CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar’s focus on diabetes and obesity core areas.6
The announcement occurred after a cell therapy retreat context, amid broader industry retreats like Galapagos and Takeda scaling back cell therapy efforts.6910
Sources:
6. https://www.biospace.com/deals/after-cell-therapy-retreat-novo-offloads-technologies-in-deepened-aspect-pact
9. https://www.mednous.com/news/takeda-others-retreat-cell-therapy
10. https://pharmaphorum.com/news/galapagos-abandons-cell-therapy-putting-365-jobs-risk