Caris­ma to lay off staff, drop clin­i­cal CAR-M pro­gram in fa­vor of sec­ond can­di­date

Caris­ma Ther­a­peu­tics dis­closed Mon­day that it is paus­ing de­vel­op­ment of two cell ther­a­py can­di­dates and plan­ning to cut its work­force by 37%.

As of the end of 2023, the biotech had 107 full-time em­ploy­ees. It now plans to lay off 39 staffers, “in­clud­ing cer­tain em­ploy­ees en­gaged in re­search and de­vel­op­ment ac­tiv­i­ties and cer­tain fi­nance and cor­po­rate em­ploy­ees,” ac­cord­ing to an SEC fil­ing.

The biotech is putting two CAR-M pro­grams on hold: an an­ti-HER2 CAR-macrophage pro­gram dubbed CT-0508, as well as an an­ti-mesothe­lin CAR-mono­cyte can­di­date CT-1119. In an ear­ly clin­i­cal tri­al with 14 pa­tients who re­ceived CT-0508, the best re­sponse was sta­ble dis­ease, Caris­ma re­port­ed in Sep­tem­ber.

Unlock this article instantly by becoming a free subscriber.

You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.

SIGN UP LOG IN BECOME A PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER