Caribou Biosciences is narrowing its pipeline and reducing its workforce by approximately 32% amid continued challenges in the cell and gene therapy sector.
The company announced on 24 April it is halting its lupus programme, which had not yet started dosing patients. The programme was based on CB-010, a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy originally developed for large B cell lymphoma and launched as part of the GALLOP Phase I trial (NCT06752876).
Go deeper with GlobalData
Caribou is also dropping the AMpLify Phase I trial (NCT06128044) evaluating CB-012 as a treatment for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia. According to the company, advancing CB-012 would require additional data, taking “time and resources” that can be dedicated to its remaining programmes. Patients already treated in the study will continue to be monitored through long-term follow-up.
In addition to the clinical trial cuts, Caribou will wind down related preclinical research activities. These strategic decisions are expected to reduce operating costs and extend the company’s cash runway by one year, pushing it into H2 2027. Caribou estimates the cost of the restructuring – including severance and other cash-related expenses – will range between $2.5m and $3.5m.
As of 31 March 2025, Caribou had $212.5m in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, based on preliminary financial data.
Caribou will continue developing its two lead candidates: CB-010 for large B cell lymphoma and CB-011 for multiple myeloma. CB-010, currently in the ANTLER Phase I trial (NCT04637763), uses partially HLA-matched donor derived CAR-T cells. The company plans to present safety and efficacy data from 20 patients in H2 2025, with at least six months of follow up for most patients. Caribou says that discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are ongoing regarding the design of a potential pivotal trial.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataCB-011, also an “off-the-shelf” CAR-T therapy is being investigated in the Phase I CaMMoflage Phase I trial (NCT05722418) for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Caribou expects to present dose-escalation data from at least 25 patients in H2 2025 and announce a recommended dose for expansion.
This restructuring marks Caribou’s second round of layoffs recently. In 2024, the company eliminated 21 positions to focus resources on its off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapies.
“Broad patient access to life-changing CAR-T cell therapies is only achievable if healthcare systems have an off-the-shelf option,” said Caribou’s CEO Rachel Haurwitz in the 24 April announcement. “We recognise the challenges in the current market environment and believe the best approach is to present the most robust datasets for both programmes.”
Caribou, co-founded by CRISPR pioneer and Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, is among several biotechs pursuing allogeneic CAR-T approaches as an alternative to autologous therapies. The off-the-shelf option is designed to improve scalability and manufacturing times, although the field has been hit by technical and commercial setbacks. In 2023, AbbVie terminated its collaboration with Caribou less than two years after signing a deal worth up to $340m. That same year, Pfizer invested $25m in the company.
Other companies in the allogeneic CAR-T space have also faced turbulence. In November 2024, Allogene Therapeutics reported three patient deaths in its Phase I TRAVERSE clinical trial (NCT04696731) of ALLO-316, an allogeneic CD70-targeted CAR-T therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma.
Cell & Gene Therapy coverage on Pharmaceutical Technology is supported by Cytiva.
Editorial content is independently produced and follows the highest standards of journalistic integrity. Topic sponsors are not involved in the creation of editorial content.
