Achilles Therapeutics

What Achilles Therapeutics does

Achilles Therapeutics was a UK-incorporated, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that developed personalized immunotherapies for solid tumors, with operations in London and a manufacturing facility at the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. Founded in September 2016 and led by CEO Iraj Ali and CSO/co-founder Sergio Quezada, the company built its identity around clonal neoantigen reactive T cells (cNeT) — autologous T cell products engineered against tumor-specific neoantigens present on every cancer cell in a patient's tumor, rather than on a subset. Its pipeline targeted advanced non-small cell lung cancer through the CHIRON trial and metastatic malignant melanoma through the THETIS trial, both Phase I/IIa studies conducted at specialized clinical sites in the UK and US.

The company's technology stack combined three proprietary layers: (1) the PELEUS AI-powered bioinformatics platform for immunogenicity prediction, which used machine learning on patient tumor genomic and HLA data to select the most potent T cell antigens; (2) cNeT, the personalized T cell therapy product itself; and (3) the VELOS manufacturing process, with VELOS Process 2 demonstrated to materially increase cNeT dose output versus the earlier process. Achilles also held granted US and European patents covering neoantigen identification methods, treatment regimens based on tumor HLA status, and the use of selectively expanded T cells. The company was a publicly traded entity on Nasdaq (ticker ACHV) following its April 2021 IPO, raising $175.5 million alongside approximately £165.9 million in earlier private rounds (Series B £100 million in 2019, Series C £52.7 million in 2020, seed £13.2 million in 2016).

Achilles never generated product revenue. Its business model contemplated future licensing and royalty economics from biopharmaceutical development, supported by €4.1M in Horizon 2020 and approximately $4.1M (€3.9M) in additional grants, but its primary economic outcome was R&D-driven capital consumption. In December 2024, the company sold its technology assets, including PELEUS and the cNeT manufacturing capabilities, to AstraZeneca. In February 2025, Achilles voluntarily delisted from Nasdaq and deregistered with the SEC, and on 20 March 2025 it entered Members' Voluntary (Solvent) Liquidation, with all creditors to be paid in full and shareholders notified of any distribution from the liquidation estate.

Name

Achilles Therapeutics

Legal name

Achilles Therapeutics plc

Website

https://achillestx.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Achilles Therapeutics was a UK-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing personalized T cell therapies (cNeT) targeting clonal neoantigens for solid tumors, including advanced NSCLC and metastatic melanoma. The company sold its technology assets to AstraZeneca in December 2024 and entered solvent liquidation in March 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hammersmith

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Biopharmaceutical Development: As a pre-commercial biopharmaceutical company focused on personalized cancer immunotherapy, Achilles Therapeutics was developing novel cell therapies and cancer vaccines for solid tumors. The company was in clinical development stage with no commercialized products at the time of liquidation.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Achilles Therapeutics developed personalized clonal neoantigen reactive T cell (cNeT) immunotherapies and personalized mRNA cancer vaccines for the treatment of solid tumors, primarily advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and metastatic malignant melanoma. Its pipeline was supported by the proprietary PELEUS™ AI platform for neoantigen identification and the VELOS™ manufacturing process, and was advanced through the Phase I/IIa CHIRON and THETIS clinical trials before the company's technology assets were sold to AstraZeneca in December 2024.

Product overview

Achilles Therapeutics was a biopharmaceutical company developing personalized T cell therapies targeting clonal neoantigens for solid tumors. The company's core technology comprised: (1) Clonal Neoantigen Reactive T Cells (cNeT) - personalized cell therapy products; (2) the PELEUS™ AI-powered platform for neoantigen identification and immunogenicity prediction; and (3) the VELOS™ manufacturing processes for T cell production. Clinical programs included the CHIRON trial (advanced NSCLC) and THETIS trial (metastatic melanoma). The company operated Phase I/IIa clinical trials evaluating cNeT as monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. In December 2024, the company's technology assets were sold to AstraZeneca, and the company entered liquidation in March 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clonal Neoantigen Reactive T Cells (cNeT) Therapy
• CHIRON Phase I/IIa Trial
• THETIS Phase I/IIa Trial
• Personalized mRNA Cancer Vaccine Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant increase in cNeT dose demonstrated with VELOS™ Process 2 manufacturing

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AstraZenecacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 December 2024AstraZeneca acquired Achilles Therapeutics' technology assets in December 2024. This was the final strategic transaction before the company's liquidation. The sale included all technology, IP, and related assets developed by Achilles in the personalized cancer immunotherapy space.
• Arcturus TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2024Research collaboration to explore second-generation personalized mRNA cancer vaccines. The collaboration combined Achilles' expertise in neoantigen identification and T cell therapy with Arcturus' mRNA vaccine technology to develop improved personalized cancer vaccine candidates.
• Horizon Europe ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2022Achilles led a Horizon Europe-Funded Consortium to advance personalized cell therapy manufacturing. The consortium focused on improving manufacturing processes for personalized cell therapies targeting solid tumors.
• NASDAQ Biotechnology IndexminorOthers · 20 December 2021Achilles Therapeutics was added to the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index, recognizing its standing in the biotech sector.
• Northern Alliance Advanced Therapy Treatment CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 October 2021Joined the Northern Alliance Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre Consortium to support the development and delivery of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) in the UK.
• Horizon 2020 Neoantigen ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2021Achilles received a Horizon 2020 grant as part of a Neoantigen Consortium. The consortium brought together European partners to advance neoantigen-based therapeutic approaches.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adaptimmune Therapeutics: Develops personalized SPEAR T-cell receptor (TCR) therapies targeting solid tumors. Directly comparable to Achilles as both companies engineer patient-specific T cells against tumor-specific antigens, with overlapping clinical focus on solid tumor indications.
• BioNTech: Develops individualized mRNA cancer vaccines targeting neoantigens (e.g., autogene cevumeran in partnership with Roche/Genentech). Comparable to Achilles' Arcturus-partnered mRNA cancer vaccine program, representing the mRNA vaccine alternative to autologous cell therapy.
• Moderna: Develops personalized mRNA cancer vaccines (mRNA-4157/V940, in partnership with Merck) targeting neoantigens. Directly comparable as a competing modality for personalized neoantigen-targeted cancer immunotherapy in melanoma and other solid tumors.
• Immatics: Develops TCR-based immunotherapies and adoptive cell therapies targeting tumor-specific peptides, including personalized multi-TCR approaches. Closely comparable to Achilles in targeting tumor neoantigens with engineered T cells for solid tumors.
• Iovance Biotherapeutics: Commercial-stage cell therapy company developing tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapies for solid tumors, including lifileucel for melanoma. Comparable to Achilles as a personalized autologous T-cell therapy company focused on solid tumor indications.
• Gritstone bio: Develops personalized neoantigen cancer vaccines (GRANITE platform) using viral vectors and mRNA to elicit T cell responses against tumor mutations. Comparable to Achilles in targeting clonal neoantigens with personalized immunotherapy approaches for solid tumors.
• Neogene Therapeutics: Develops personalized neoantigen TCR therapies for solid tumors, using a similar approach of identifying patient-specific tumor mutations and engineering T cells against them. Acquired by AstraZeneca in 2023, providing a direct comparison point for the strategic value of this technology class.

Others

• Personalis: Provides genomic sequencing and bioinformatics services for cancer neoantigen identification, including work with pharma partners on personalized immunotherapy development. Comparable as an enabling technology provider in the personalized neoantigen therapy ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Cellectis: Develops allogeneic CAR-T and TCR cell therapies using gene-editing technology. Comparable as an adjacent cell therapy peer pursuing the opposite (off-the-shelf) approach to the personalized autologous model Achilles pursued, representing a competitive alternative modality.

Broad incumbents

• Kite Pharma (Gilead): Major commercial cell therapy company (Yescarta, Tecartus) developing autologous CAR-T therapies, primarily in hematologic malignancies but expanding into solid tumors. Provides a broad incumbent benchmark for personalized cell therapy manufacturing scale and commercial execution.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/achillestx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors14 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Achilles Therapeutics