UK CTA Approval Enables CHILL Phase 1/2 CAR‑Treg Trial in RA and SSc

Quell Therapeutics reports it has received UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Clinical Trial Application (CTA) approval and has initiated the CHILL Phase 1/2 study, a multinational basket trial evaluating QEL‑005, an autologous CAR‑Treg therapy, in adults with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis.

CHILL is a multinational study across the UK, Germany, and Spain with a planned enrollment of up to 16 adult participants. Patient enrollment is already underway at UK clinical centers, and early clinical findings are expected in Q1 2027.

Quell describes QEL‑005 as an autologous, Phenotype Locked CAR‑Treg product candidate that uses a Treg‑optimized, CD19‑directed chimeric antigen receptor. In the company’s description, the construct is designed to be activated in the presence of B cells and to mediate immune regulation through bystander suppression across multiple immune cell lineages.