The 2025 perspective of Caribou Biosciences directed the key readings of the trials for two cancer cell therapies in the first half of the year and the beginning of clinical tests in an autoimmune disease. CRISPR biotechnology is now exploring the autoimmune program and cutting staff to focus their resources and finances on the two lead cancer programs, whose data readings have been delayed to the second half of 2025.
Corporate restructuring will reduce approximately 32% of Caribou staff, the company based in Berkeley, California, after the closing of Thursday’s market. Caribou staff were 125 full -time employees to March 1, according to the annual Biotech report. With the prioritization of the pipe, Caribau expects the changes to allow the company to last in the second half of 2027, extending a previous projection for one year. Caribou reported a cash position of $ 212.5 million at the end of March.
Caribou is part of a group of alogenic development bioteca or ready to use cars. The company, co -founded by Jennifer Doudna, the scientist who won a Nobel Prize for her Crispr discoveries, uses CRISPR to edit T cells obtained from healthy donors. These editions allow the unique thesis treatments to pursue an objective of the disease while reducing the chans that the immune system of a patient rejects engineering T cells. The challenges for all alogenic cell therapy developers include achieving the same effectiveness and durability as the first generation of cell therapies, which are performed by a patient’s cell engineering.
The two lead cancer programs are CB-010, a cell therapy led by CD19 in the development of the non-Hodgkin B cell lymphoma, and CB-011, a BCMA cellular guidance therapy in the development for multiple myeloma. Both are in the development of phase 1. In the announcement, Caribau said that the data for CB-010 so far show that a single dose “has the potential to boost the results that are on the same time with the safety, effectiveness and durability of the approved therapies of autologous car T cells.”
When delaying data reading, both programs may recute more patients with longer follow -up. For CB-010, the company also expects data from a concept test cohort in up to 10 patients who have fallen after previous treatment with a therapy aimed at CD19.
“We recognize the challenges in the current market environment and we believe that the best focus is to present the most solid data sets for both programs,” said Caribou president and executive director, Rachel Haurwitz, in a prepared statement. “As a result, we now plan to reveal clinical data of CB-010 and CB-011 in the second half of this year.”
Cell therapies that are directed to CD19 in B cells sacrifice the opportunity to treat autoimmune diseases driven by these immune cells, and a growing number of companies is taking that strategy. Caribou is leaving that race. CB-010 was preparing for a phase 1 test in the lupus that was authorized to start last year. The company is now suspending that clinical trial before the dosage of the first patient.
Caribou cancer pipe is also being reduced. A phase 1 test of CB-012 has been discontinued in advanced acute myeloid leukemia. Caribou said he made this decision that the program needed additional data to advance, which would take away the time and resources of the two lead cancer programs. However, patients already treated in the CB-012 test will continue to be evaluated in a long-term follow-up study. Caribou has also finished his preclinical research.
Restructuring is Caribou’s second in the last year. Last July, the company suspended a preclinical program that develops alogenic cell therapies based on natural murderous cells. The company said that at the time the move would extend its cash and allow it to concentrate on its alogenic T-Therapies.
On Friday, the price of Caribau’s shares opened 87 cents. When Caribou made public an opi of $ 304 million increased by 2021, he set his shares at $ 17 each.
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