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STAT+: Caribou Biosciences, biotech co-founded by Jennifer Doudna, is shutting down
Publication: STAT
Author: Adam Feuerstein
Source published: 07/10/2026, 08:30:00 UTC
Briefing created: 24/10/2026, 12:05:20 UTC
Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 07/10/2026, 21:21:26 UTC.
Briefings
Caribou Biosciences, a biotech firm co-founded by Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna, announced the shutdown of its clinical development for two CRISPR-based CAR-T therapies, including vispa-cel for advanced B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The company stated it failed to secure the necessary funding for a late-stage Phase 3 trial, a decision confirmed by CEO Rachel Haurwitz. This marks the end of a year where the firm successfully collaborated with the FDA to finalize trial designs, but capital constraints prevented execution.
Key points
- Caribou Biosciences, co-founded by Jennifer Doudna, halted clinical development of vispa-cel and another CRISPR CAR-T therapy for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma due to inability to raise funds for a Phase 3 trial.
- The firm successfully finalized trial designs with the FDA over the past year but could not secure the capital required to proceed with the late-stage clinical trial.
Context
Caribou Biosciences is a biotech company based in Berkeley, California, established from the research lab of Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna. The shutdown of its CAR-T therapy programs follows a year of successful FDA collaboration but failed financial execution, ending a potential milestone in biotech innovation.
Limitations
Evidence covers only the announcement of the shutdown and the specific failure to raise funds for the Phase 3 trial. No specific dates for the funding shortfall, exact amounts raised, or reasons for the funding gap are provided in the source.
Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 24/10/2026, 12:05:20 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.
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