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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Bristol Myers Squibb has terminated its partnership with cell therapy startup Cellares after the company's Cell Shuttle platform failed to meet commercial-scale manufacturing requirements for its CAR-T therapy, Breyanzi. The move highlights the persistent challenges of producing personalized cancer therapies at scale. Cellares has since announced a workforce "resize" following the loss of the major pharma client.
Bristol Myers Squibb has ended its partnership with cell therapy startup Cellares, citing the startup's inability to scale its Cell Shuttle manufacturing platform to meet commercial production requirements for Breyanzi, BMS's FDA-approved CAR-T therapy for lymphoma and other blood cancers. The decision applies specifically to Breyanzi and its approved manufacturing process.
The fallout is significant for Cellares, whose CEO Fabian Gerlinghaus acknowledged the loss of a "large pharmaceutical customer" on LinkedIn, warning it would force the company to "resize" its workforce. The two companies had signed a deal in 2024 worth up to $380 million, under which BMS reserved manufacturing capacity across the U.S., EU, and Japan.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: CAR-T therapies represent a breakthrough in blood cancer treatment, but their complex, patient-specific manufacturing process remains a major bottleneck. This deal collapse underscores how even well-funded partnerships can stumble on the steep technical hurdles of scaling personalized cell therapies.
