Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
Novo Nordisk and Aspect Biosystems entered a development and license agreement to develop bioprinted tissue therapeutics for diabetes and obesity. Aspect received $75M in initial payments and is eligible for up to $650M per product across up to four programs (~$2.6B total), plus tiered royalties. UPDATE (Jan 20, 2026): The partners announced a new phase of the alliance focused on curative Type 1 diabetes cell therapy. Aspect acquired rights to Novo Nordisk's stem-cell-derived islet cell and hypoimmune cell-engineering technologies and will now lead development, manufacturing and commercialization, combining them with its bioprinting platform; Novo retains defined rights to expand its role in later-stage development/commercialization, makes an additional (undisclosed) equity investment in Aspect, continues research funding, and is eligible for royalties and milestones on future sales. Programs remain preclinical, advancing toward clinical development. The original 2023 development & license agreement was not terminated.