Merck Collaborates with Quotient Therapeutics on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Drug Discovery Using Somatic Genomics Platform

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Quotient Therapeutics announced a multi-year research collaboration with Merck (MSD outside US and Canada) on March 24, 2026, to discover novel drug targets in inflammatory bowel disease using somatic genomics platform technology1

Quotient will receive a $20 million upfront payment with potential for up to $2.2 billion in total deal value through development, regulatory, and commercial milestones14

Somatic genomics technology studies natural genetic mutations that accumulate in patient tissue over a lifetime, identifying mutations that cause or protect from disease to inform therapeutic strategies14

Millions of people globally have IBD, and currently no disease-modifying treatments are available, according to Dr. Marc Levesque, Vice President of Discovery at Merck Research Laboratories13

Quotient Therapeutics was founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2022 and has attracted multiple major pharmaceutical partners, including GSK and Pfizer, for similar target discovery collaborations13

Sources:

1. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/03/24/3261006/0/en/Quotient-Therapeutics-Announces-Collaboration-with-Merck-to-Discover-Novel-Drug-Targets-in-Inflammatory-Bowel-Disease-Using-Somatic-Genomics-Platform-Technology.html

3. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/quotients-genomics-platform-attracts-merck-22b-ibd-drug-target-deal

4. https://www.marketscreener.com/news/quotient-therapeutics-and-merck-enter-multi-year-research-collaboration-agreement-ce7e5eddd181f12d