Caribou Biosciences’ 2025 outlook aimed for key trial readouts for 2 most cancers cell therapies within the first half of the 12 months and the beginning of scientific testing in an autoimmune illness. The CRISPR biotech is now shelving the autoimmune program and slashing employees to be able to focus its assets and its funds on the 2 lead most cancers applications, whose knowledge readouts have been delayed to the second half of 2025.
The company restructuring will reduce about 32% of Caribou’s employees, the Berkeley, California-based firm introduced after Thursday’s market shut. Caribou’s headcount was 125 full-time workers as of March 1, the biotech’s annual report states. With the pipeline prioritization, Caribou expects the adjustments will allow the corporate’s capital to final into the second half of 2027, extending a previous projection by one 12 months. Caribou reported a $212.5 million money place as of the top of March.
Caribou is a part of a bunch of biotechs creating allogeneic, or off-the-shelf, CAR T-therapies. The corporate, co-founded by Jennifer Doudna, the scientist who gained a Nobel Prize for her CRISPR discoveries, makes use of CRISPR to edit T cells sourced from wholesome donors. These edits allow these one-time remedies to go after a illness goal whereas additionally lowering the possibilities {that a} affected person’s immune system rejects the engineered T cells. Challenges for all allogeneic cell remedy builders embody reaching the identical efficacy and sturdiness as the primary era of cell therapies, that are made by engineering a affected person’s personal immune cells.
The 2 lead most cancers applications are CB-010, a CD19-targeting cell remedy in growth for B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and CB-011, a BCMA-targeting cell remedy in growth for a number of myeloma. Each are in Section 1 growth. Within the announcement, Caribou stated knowledge for CB-010 to date present {that a} single dose “has the potential to drive outcomes which are on par with the protection, efficacy, and sturdiness of permitted autologous CAR T cell therapies.”
By delaying the info readout, each applications will be capable to accrue extra knowledge from sufferers with longer observe up. For CB-010, the corporate additionally expects knowledge from a proof-of-concept cohort in as much as 10 sufferers who’ve relapsed following prior remedy with a CD19-targeted remedy.
“We acknowledge the challenges within the present market setting and consider the very best strategy is to current essentially the most strong datasets for each applications,” Caribou President and CEO Rachel Haurwitz stated in a ready assertion. “Consequently, we now plan to reveal scientific knowledge from CB-010 and CB-011 within the second half of this 12 months.”
Cell therapies that concentrate on CD19 on B cells provide the chance to deal with autoimmune illnesses pushed by these immune cells, and a rising variety of corporations are taking that technique. Caribou is dropping out of that race. CB-010 was being readied for a Section 1 take a look at in lupus that was cleared to start final 12 months. The corporate is now discontinuing that scientific trial earlier than dosing of the primary affected person.
Caribou’s most cancers pipeline can be narrowing. A Section 1 take a look at of CB-012 in superior acute myeloid leukemia has been discontinued. Caribou stated it made this determination as a result of this system wanted extra knowledge to advance, which might take time and assets away from the 2 lead most cancers applications. Nonetheless, sufferers already handled within the CB-012’s trial will proceed to be evaluated in a long-term follow-up research. Caribou has additionally ended its preclinical analysis.
The restructuring is Caribou’s second previously 12 months. Final July, the corporate discontinued a preclinical program creating allogeneic cell therapies based mostly on pure killer cells. The corporate stated on the time the transfer would prolong its money runway and allow it to deal with its allogeneic CAR T-therapies.
On Friday, Caribou’s inventory value opened at 87 cents. When Caribou went public an upsized $304 million IPO in 2021, it priced its shares at $17 every.
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