Syncona Ltd, an active investor in cell and gene therapy, has launched a new company, Quell Therapeutics Ltd, which will develop cell therapies to treat autoimmune conditions based on engineered T regulatory (Treg) cells. Tregs are a subset of T cells with the potential to down-regulate the immune system.

Rinri Therapeutics Ltd, a spin-out of Sheffield University in the UK, has received £1.4 million in seed funding from a European syndicate in order to advance a prospective stem cell therapy to restore hearing. The company aims to reverse neuropathic sensorineural hearing loss by repairing the damaged cytoarchitecture of the inner ear.