--- title: 'Industry Daily Summary: What Happened on October 8, 2026' headline: Caribou ends two CAR-T programs and weighs a sale description: 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. url: https://thebench.bio/news/industry/2026-10-08 topic: industry date: '2026-10-08' covers: - '2026-10-08' date_published: '2026-10-08T12:04:31Z' date_modified: '2026-10-08T12:04:31Z' sources: 7 publisher: The Bench (thebench.bio) --- # 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. ## Today in brief Caribou Biosciences is ending two allogeneic CAR-T programs, reducing its workforce and reviewing strategic options that could include a sale. [1] [2] [3] 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. [2] [4] 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. [2] [3] The company will reduce its workforce and costs but has not disclosed how many jobs will be affected. [2] [6] Caribou said it could not raise the capital needed to advance the programs responsibly amid difficult financing conditions for allogeneic CAR-T therapies. [2] [3] The company had prepared vispa-cel for a pivotal trial and reached agreement with the FDA on the trial design, according to Caribou. [2] [3] Caribou's board approved a review of options that could include a merger, acquisition, business combination or transaction involving its assets. [2] [3] 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. [2] [3] ## 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] ## The day in numbers - **2**: Caribou CAR-T programs being discontinued. [1] [2] - **$113.8 million**: Caribou cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of June 30, 2026. [2] [3] - **2,568**: Employees associated with third-quarter biopharma workforce reductions across 27 companies. [7] ## Also published - [Before You Sign with a New Hub Vendor, Ask These Four Questions](), Pharmaceutical Executive - [UAE investment drives Middle East biopharma transformation as precision medicine set for double-digit growth](), pharmaphorum - [On the move: 4 rare disease companies hiring now](), BioSpace - [3Q26 Wrap: Flat as a pancake](), BioCentury - [Caribou Bio’s Journey With Off-the-Shelf Cell Therapy Reaches the End of the Road](), MedCity News - [Caribou to halt CAR-T work, lay off staff amid ‘challenging’ funding climate](), BioPharma Dive - [STAT+: Forbion raises $2.6 billion, its largest fundraise to date](), STAT Biotech - [Adecto, Aviceda wind down, as Caribou seeks options](), pharmaphorum ## Sources 1. [Layoffs at Caribou as two CAR Ts scrapped](), BioCentury, 2026-10-08 2. [Caribou Biosciences Discontinues Development for Vispa-cel & CB-011 CAR-T Cell Therapy Programs](), Pharmaceutical Executive, 2026-10-07 3. [Caribou Drops Vispa-Cel, CB-011 CAR-T Programs, Eyes Sale](), BioPharm International, 2026-10-07 4. [STAT+: Caribou Biosciences, biotech co-founded by Jennifer Doudna, is shutting down](), STAT Biotech, 2026-10-07 5. [10x Genomics and Fred Hutch partner on cancer technologies](), Pharmaceutical Technology, 2026-10-08 6. [CAR-T specialist Caribou culls pipeline and seeks exit deal](), Pharmaceutical Technology, 2026-10-07 7. [Q3 layoffs down YOY, with 90% fewer biopharma employees affected](), BioSpace, 2026-10-08 --- The Bench wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: [4]: [5]: [6]: [7]: