2 December 2021 - - US-based cell therapy company SQZ Biotechnologies Company's (NYSE: SQZ) China Initiative has been accepted by the Roche Accelerator, the company said.

Launched earlier this year, the accelerator is Switzerland-based healthcare company Roche's (OTC: RHHBY) first in-house accelerator globally and further establishes its long-term commitment to Shanghai and China.

China's healthcare ecosystem is of growing global importance and provides significant opportunity for patient impact.

Collaboration with the Roche Accelerator will support early strategic planning and potential China-based activities for the SQZ China Initiative.

Roche has been a strategic partner with the company since 2015 and has an ongoing collaboration with SQZ on the SQZ APC oncology program globally.

SQZ Biotechnologies company is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on unlocking the full potential of cell therapies for patients around the world and has active programs in Oncology, Autoimmune and Infectious Diseases, as well as additional exploratory initiatives to support future pipeline growth.

The company's proprietary Cell Squeeze technology offers the unique ability to deliver multiple biological materials into many cell types to engineer what we believe can be a range of potential therapeutics.

With demonstrated production timelines under 24 hours and the opportunity to eliminate preconditioning and lengthy hospital stays, our approach could significantly broaden the therapeutic range and accessibility of cell therapies.

The company's first therapeutic applications seek to generate target-specific immune responses, both in activation for the treatment of solid tumors and infectious diseases, and in immune tolerance for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.