Novo Nordisk And Aspect Biosystems Advance To Next Phase Of Their Collaboration To Create Curative Diabetes Treatments

Novo Nordisk and Aspect Biosystems have announced that they are moving into a new phase of their partnership to advance the development of next-generation cellular medicines for diabetes. The two companies have been working together since 2023 on therapies designed to replace, repair, or support biological functions, with the goal of creating truly disease-modifying treatments. This expanded phase reflects their shared ambition to speed up the development of potential curative treatments for serious diseases, including type 1 diabetes.

As part of the new agreement, Aspect Biosystems has obtained rights to Novo Nordisk’s stem cell-derived islet cell and hypoimmune cell engineering technologies. Aspect will now lead the development, manufacturing, and future commercialization of these cellular therapies. Novo Nordisk, however, will retain specific rights to participate in later-stage development and commercialization activities if the therapies advance successfully.

Novo Nordisk will also make an additional equity investment in Aspect and provide research funding to support the progress of these promising treatments. In return, Novo Nordisk will be eligible to receive royalties and milestone payments from future product sales developed by Aspect.

Jacob Sten Petersen, senior vice president of Global Research at Novo Nordisk, noted that the company was founded on the mission of improving life for people with diabetes, a commitment that remains central to its work. He added that the collaboration with Aspect brings together Aspect’s expertise in cellular medicines and Novo Nordisk’s long-standing leadership in diabetes care, enabling progress toward cell-based therapies that could potentially provide a functional cure for type 1 diabetes.

The agreement includes integrating selected Novo Nordisk cell therapy research, development, and manufacturing capabilities from the United States and Denmark into Aspect’s platform, which is centered in Canada. This move will strengthen Aspect’s end-to-end capabilities and provide access to highly specialized talent from both organizations.

Tamer Mohamed, founder and CEO of Aspect Biosystems, stated that the partnership blends Novo Nordisk’s century-long leadership in diabetes with Aspect’s innovation in cell therapy and fast-paced biotechnology culture. He emphasized that combining technologies and expertise will help accelerate the development of curative cell therapies and support Aspect’s long-term goal of building a global biotechnology company with meaningful impact.

Aspect’s platform is currently being used to develop a new generation of cellular medicines aimed at treating metabolic and endocrine diseases. This includes an islet replacement therapy for type 1 diabetes that aims to restore blood glucose control without lifelong immune suppression. These therapies are being designed as allogeneic, meaning they use off-the-shelf cells, allowing for scalable and efficient manufacturing.