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Industry Daily Summary

Industry Daily Summary: What Happened on October 8, 2026

Caribou ends two CAR-T programs and weighs a sale

The company is cutting staff after failing to raise money for a planned late-stage lymphoma trial. 10x Genomics and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center will study cancer diagnostics in two research projects.

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Today in brief

Caribou Biosciences is ending two allogeneic CAR-T programs, reducing its workforce and reviewing strategic options that could include a sale.123 Caribou said it could not secure funding for a planned late-stage lymphoma trial, although it had aligned with the FDA on a Phase 3 design.24

10x Genomics and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center will run two studies of single-cell and spatial analysis in acute myeloid leukemia and advanced bladder cancer.5

Caribou ends two CAR-T programs and explores strategic options

Caribou is discontinuing vispa-cel, its candidate for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and CB-011, which was being studied in multiple myeloma.23 The company will reduce its workforce and costs but has not disclosed how many jobs will be affected.26

Caribou said it could not raise the capital needed to advance the programs responsibly amid difficult financing conditions for allogeneic CAR-T therapies.23 The company had prepared vispa-cel for a pivotal trial and reached agreement with the FDA on the trial design, according to Caribou.23

Caribou's board approved a review of options that could include a merger, acquisition, business combination or transaction involving its assets.23 The company expects to complete most workforce cuts in the fourth quarter of 2026. It held $113.8 million in cash, equivalents and marketable securities on June 30.23

10x Genomics and Fred Hutch plan two cancer studies

10x Genomics and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center signed an agreement for two studies intended to build clinical evidence for cancer diagnostics.5 One study will test whether single-cell analysis can improve methods for monitoring residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia.5

The second will analyze tissue from people with advanced bladder cancer who received treatments including antibody-drug conjugates and immune checkpoint inhibitors.5 Researchers aim to link treatment outcomes with tumor features and drug-target expression to identify possible biomarkers for treatment selection.5

Also worth knowing

  • BioSpace's tally found that 27 companies reported or projected cuts affecting 2,568 people in the third quarter. Those totals were down 56% and 90%, respectively, from a year earlier.7

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