Cellares unveils layoffs following partnership loss

Cellares is resizing its organization after a large pharmaceutical customer ended its partnership with the integrated development and manufacturing organization, according to a LinkedIn post from Cellares CEO and co-founder, Fabian Gerlinghaus.

According to Gerlinghaus, the customer’s decision was specific to that partnership and the loss requires the company to reduce its headcount. While the customer was not identified, industry insiders are speculating that it is Bristol Myers Squibb. In 2024, BMS and Cellares inked a $380 million capacity reservation and supply agreement, in which BMS would utilize Cellares’ proprietary Cell Shuttle for the clinical and commercial-scale manufacturing of select CAR-T cell therapies.

Despite the setback, Cellares emphasized that its manufacturing platform has demonstrated clinical capabilities and that its broader customer base remains strong.

In April, Cabaletta Bio’s investigational CAR-T cell therapy, rese-cel, was infused into the first two patients using drug product manufactured on Cellares' Cell Shuttle. In June, the company announced a $327 million Series D financing round. Later that month, Cellares’ Bridgewater, New Jersey facility was one of seven facilities selected to participate in the FDA’s new PreCheck Pilot Program, an initiative designed to strengthen domestic drug manufacturing.

“We started Cellares because cell therapy manufacturing needs to become more scalable, reliable, and accessible if these medicines are going to reach the patients who need them,” said Gerlinghaus. “That mission has not changed and our resolve is stronger than ever.”