Cellares to cut 100 jobs after losing contract with unnamed large pharma customer

Cellares, a cell therapy manufacturing startup based in South San Francisco, announced it will lay off about 100 employees.

The cuts follow the termination of a contract by an unnamed large pharmaceutical customer, as disclosed by CEO Fabian Gerlinghaus in a LinkedIn post and a regulatory filing.

The company had recently raised $327 million in a Series D round and says it has more than doubled its customer base this year, attracting interest from firms such as Bristol Myers Squibb, Sonoma Biotherapeutics and Cabaletta Bio.

Despite the loss, Cellares said its remaining partners remain committed to the collaboration, and it will continue to develop its automated “Cell Shuttles” platform for cell therapy production.