Merck & Co. and Quotient Therapeutics have entered into a multi-year research collaboration to discover drug targets for inflammatory bowel disease using Quotient’s somatic genomic platform. The deal, which is valued at up to US$2.2 B, includes an upfront payment of US$20 M and potential development, regulatory and commercial milestones, along with royalties on future sales. The partnership enables Merck to expand its early-stage immunology pipeline, while validating Quotient’s platform and reflects a growing emphasis on incorporating genetic insights into early-stage drug discovery for complex molecules.