Caribou puts another nail in the Car-NK coffin

Earlier this year Caribou stopped development of its lead Car-NK programme, the ROR1-targeting CB-020, and now it's out of Car-NK altogether. The company slipped the news into an SEC filing yesterday that also outlined a 12% workforce reduction. Caribou is conserving cash after its lead project, the allogeneic anti-CD19 Car-T therapy CB-010, was recently delayed by a new patient matching strategy – the next update with that project is due in the first half of 2025, and a phase 3 trial, previously expected to start by the end of 2024, is slated for the second half of next year. The latest moves should extend Caribou’s cash runway by at least six months, into the second half of 2026; this looks unlikely to get it to a pivotal readout, so the group might be looking to raise more funds in the not-too-distant future. Caribou isn’t the first to stumble with Car-NK projects; indeed, all the key players have suffered setbacks, with a big issue being the fact that NK cells don’t appear to expand like T-cells. Fate and Nkarta are persevering, but the latter’s priority now seems to be autoimmune disease.

The ups and downs of notable Car-NK players

Source: OncologyPipeline.