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Realising the curative potential of cell therapies
Cell therapies
What is cell therapy?
Cell therapy uses modified or genetically engineered cells to treat diseases. It is a rapidly advancing field with potential to deliver curative options across a range of diseases.
At AstraZeneca, we’re aiming to build world-class cell therapy capabilities and a diverse pipeline spanning CAR Ts, TCR Ts, allogeneic and in vivo cell therapies.
Why is cell therapy important?
Cell therapy is already improving outcomes for people living with certain types of blood cancer. Early clinical trial results indicate potential in solid tumours and autoimmune diseases. But it could do much more.
Our ambition is to realise the full curative potential of cell therapy and remove barriers standing between patients and the treatments that could potentially transform their lives. We aim to empower the immune system to attack cancers, reset the underlying drivers of immune-mediated diseases, and deliver innovative solutions with the potential to improve the lives of people living with rare diseases.
Cell therapy is a unique modality – by engineering living cells to precisely target disease we have the potential to transform patient outcomes across multiple therapeutic areas. At AstraZeneca, we are pioneering cell therapy at scale, investing in state-of-the-art platforms, building global capabilities and pushing the boundaries of science. Our aim is to ensure many more patients can benefit from cell therapy worldwide.
Craig Maxwell, SVP, Head of AstraZeneca Enterprise Cell Therapy
Cell therapy approaches at AstraZeneca
By harnessing the body’s natural defence against disease – the immune system’s T cells – we are working to address some of the most complex health challenges.
Different cell types are being explored across a range of cell therapy platforms with the goal of addressing diverse patient needs.
T-cell receptor therapies (TCR T)
T cells are genetically engineered to recognise and destroy cancer cells. TCR Ts can recognise targets found inside the cell including cancer-specific mutations.
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR T)
T cells are genetically engineered to recognise and target proteins on the surface of disease-causing cells.
What are the different types of cell therapy?
We are exploring three platforms to deliver different treatment options, ranging from highly bespoke autologous therapies created for an individual, to off-the-shelf cell therapies (allogeneic and in vivo) that would be immediately available to patients.
Three platforms to deliver different treatment options
Autologous (own cells)
Autologous bespoke, cell therapies involve isolating a patient’s own T cells, modifying them in a laboratory to target disease and administering them as a medicine.
Allogeneic (donor cells)
Allogeneic, off-the-shelf, cell therapies are created in a laboratory from a healthy donor’s T cells, with potential to deliver therapies for thousands of patients.
In vivo (own cells)
In vivo cell therapies use viruses (known as viral vectors) to reprogramme a patient’s T cells directly within their body.
How autologous cell therapy works
Isolation of T cells
In a process known as leukapheresis, T cells are isolated from the patient’s blood.
Engineering of T cells
The T cells are genetically modified in a laboratory to express a receptor, enabling them to detect diseased cells.
Expansion of T cells
Next, the engineered T cells are expanded in the laboratory to create large numbers of therapeutic cells.
Reinfusion of T cells
The engineered T cells are administered as a highly personalised medicine that targets the patients specific diseased cells.
Cell therapy today: helping transform lives
Our innovative cell therapies are designed to act with precision in the treatment of cancers, autoimmune and rare diseases.
Cell therapy in cancer treatment
Our goal is to redefine cancer care by harnessing the immune system to recognise and eliminate cancer cells more effectively.
Cell therapy in immune-mediated diseases
We are exploring the transformative potential of engineered cell therapies to potentially ‘reset’ the immune system.
Cell therapy in rare diseases
We focus on the core immunopathology to address hard‑to‑treat rare conditions.
Accelerating progress in cell therapy
We’re building the infrastructure and ecosystem needed to help bring cell therapies to patients globally and pioneering innovative approaches to deliver the next wave of cell therapies at scale. This includes innovating for the future with scalable, off-the-shelf therapies that would be immediately ready for patients.
Scaling manufacturing
To meet the specialised demands of advanced therapies, we are harnessing the power of state-of-the-art robotics and have expanded our global manufacturing footprint. Our cutting-edge facility in Rockville, Maryland, secures a reliable, high-capacity supply chain – ensuring our oncology and immunology medicines move seamlessly from clinical trials to the patients who need them.
Enhancing clinical capabilities
By partnering with world-leading institutions like Moffitt Cancer Center, we are building our clinical network to accelerate global access to cell therapy.
Our key areas of investigation in cell therapy
We are advancing next‑generation cell therapies across our key areas of investigation: oncology, immune‑mediated diseases, and rare diseases, with the goal of delivering durable, transformative outcomes for patients.
For detailed information on specific clinical trials and their current status, please refer to our comprehensive R&D pipeline. AstraZeneca is committed to sharing robust clinical data as it becomes available.
Haematological cancers
Haematological cancers
Cell therapy has helped transform outcomes for some people living with certain types of blood cancer. A core focus of our clinical research is on advancing potential new treatments with the goal of improving outcomes for people living with multiple myeloma, the second most common blood cancer. This includes our dual-targeting autologous CAR T designed using a rapid manufacturing process, that aims to reduce treatment waiting times and deliver potentially more effective CAR Ts.
Expanding cell therapies to solid tumours
Expanding cell therapies to solid tumours
We are advancing multiple CAR Ts that recognise surface targets as well as TCR Ts that can target intracellular proteins including common tumour-driver mutations, together unlocking a broad range of targets.
Unlike in blood cancers where freely circulating cancerous cells are accessible to cell therapies, the immune-suppressing tumour micro-environment of solid tumours poses a barrier to treatment. To overcome this we are researching innovative strategies to ‘armour’ our cell therapies so they can resist the effects of TGFβ – a cytokine that is highly expressed in many solid tumours and that limits the activity of immune cells.
Immune-mediated diseases
Immune-mediated diseases
By harnessing the power of T cells, we aim to correct the underlying immune dysfunction that drives immune-mediated diseases. By doing this, we could potentially reset the immune system to offer hope for long-lasting remission – a functional cure – with a single administration for certain patients. We are accelerating the development of an autologous cell therapy platforms in immune-mediated diseases: CAR T-cells.
CAR Ts
Emerging early data have shown the transformative potential of CAR T therapy in immune-mediated diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus. By targeting dysfunctional B-cells that drive lupus and related conditions, it may be possible to deliver long-lasting remission to patients.
We are building on these efforts to extend our work in cell therapy to address certain hard-to-treat immune-mediated rare conditions. By focusing on the core immunopathology – dysfunctional immune cells that produce pathogenic proteins – we aim to deliver lasting benefits for more patients and address high unmet need across diverse communities.
Rare diseases
Rare diseases
We are exploring dual‑targeting CAR T‑cell therapies guided by the unique biology of rare diseases with high unmet need — aiming to address two key drivers of disease. We also consider how care is delivered, so options may become more dependable and reach more people where the need is greatest.
Collaborations
We are working to accelerate the evolution of cell therapy through a global network of strategic collaborations and acquisitions. This collaborative ecosystem enables us to advance potentially transformative science across oncology and immunology with greater efficiency and impact.
Partnerships
- Moffitt Cancer Center: Our collaboration with the Moffitt Cancer Center aims to accelerate our oncology cell therapy pipeline.
- AbelZeta: Accelerating the development of our armoured CAR Ts for solid tumours, in China.
- Cellectis: Harnessing our combined cell therapy expertise, capabilities to discover and develop novel allogeneic therapies.
Acquisitions
- Gracell: Expanded our R&D and manufacturing footprint in China, bringing in a novel dual-targeting CAR T therapy and next-generation autologous CAR T manufacturing platform.
- Neogene: Grew our expertise in the discovery, development and manufacturing of next-generation TCR Ts,
- EsoBiotec: Expanded our cell therapy platforms to include in vivo approaches with EsoBiotec’s pioneering ENaBL lentiviral vector technology.
Cell Therapy FAQs
How do cell therapies work?
Cell therapies use specially prepared immune cells to help the body fight disease. In some treatments, doctors take a person’s own T cells, adjust them in a dedicated lab so they can find and attack harmful cells, and then give them back as a personalised therapy. Other options are made from healthy donor T cells and kept “off the shelf,” or use viral vectors to send instructions that reprogram T cells directly inside the body.
How is it different from other medicines?
Other medicines have typically consisted of molecules you take or receive. Cell therapies are living treatments that can sense, adapt, and act inside the body, sometimes for a long time.
What's the difference between cell and gene therapy?
Cell therapy involves transferring whole cells. Gene therapy modifies cells’ function by introducing genetic material into cells to modify how they work. Some therapies combine both.
Are there different types of cell therapy?
Yes, common types include CAR T-cell therapy, TCR T-cell therapy, and those focusing on regulatory T cells. They can be autologous (patient's own cells), allogeneic (donor cells) or in vivo (own cells).
Who might benefit from cell therapy?
Some people with certain cancers or rare blood disorders may be eligible to receive currently approved cell therapies. Research is expanding to autoimmune, cardiovascular, neurological and metabolic diseases, but suitability depends on diagnosis and clinical guidance.
Are you a clinical trial participant?
If you are looking for trial information, please visit our clinical trials website: www.astrazenecaclinicaltrials.com.
Innovate with us
We welcome committed, talented cell therapy scientists to join us on what promises to be one of the most exciting, stimulating and rewarding journeys in 21st-century medicine.
Veeva ID: Z4-80685
Date of preparation: August 2026