Caribou Biosciences’ 2025 outlook aimed for key trial readouts for 2 most cancers cell therapies within the first half of the yr and the beginning of scientific testing in an autoimmune illness. The CRISPR biotech is now shelving the autoimmune program and slashing workers with the intention to focus its sources and its funds on the 2 lead most cancers packages, whose information readouts have been delayed to the second half of 2025.
The company restructuring will reduce about 32% of Caribou’s workers, 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 yr. Caribou reported a $212.5 million money place as of the tip of March.
Caribou is a part of a bunch of biotechs growing 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 therapies to go after a illness goal whereas additionally decreasing the possibilities {that a} affected person’s immune system rejects the engineered T cells. Challenges for all allogeneic cell remedy builders embrace 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 packages 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 mentioned information for CB-010 thus far present {that a} single dose “has the potential to drive outcomes which might be on par with the security, efficacy, and sturdiness of authorised autologous CAR T cell therapies.”
By delaying the information readout, each packages will have the ability to accrue extra information from sufferers with longer comply with up. For CB-010, the corporate additionally expects information from a proof-of-concept cohort in as much as 10 sufferers who’ve relapsed following prior therapy with a CD19-targeted remedy.
“We acknowledge the challenges within the present market atmosphere and consider one of the best strategy is to current probably the most sturdy datasets for each packages,” Caribou President and CEO Rachel Haurwitz mentioned in a ready assertion. “Consequently, we now plan to reveal scientific information from CB-010 and CB-011 within the second half of this yr.”
Cell therapies that focus on CD19 on B cells supply 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 check in lupus that was cleared to start final yr. The corporate is now discontinuing that scientific trial earlier than dosing of the primary affected person.
Caribou’s most cancers pipeline can also be narrowing. A Section 1 check of CB-012 in superior acute myeloid leukemia has been discontinued. Caribou mentioned it made this determination as a result of this system wanted further information to advance, which might take time and sources away from the 2 lead most cancers packages. Nevertheless, sufferers already handled within the CB-012’s trial will proceed to be evaluated in a long-term follow-up examine. Caribou has additionally ended its preclinical analysis.
The restructuring is Caribou’s second prior to now yr. Final July, the corporate discontinued a preclinical program growing allogeneic cell therapies based mostly on pure killer cells. The corporate mentioned on the time the transfer would lengthen its money runway and allow it to give attention to 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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