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After losing Bristol-Myers Squibb as a client, Cellares lays off 100 people, accelerating restructuring in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Cell therapy manufacturer Cellares plans to lay off 100 employees after losing Bristol Myers Squibb, a major pharmaceutical client. According to BioSpace's layoff tracker, in 2026, departments including Kolon TissueGene, EMD Serono, and a Sanofi subsidiary have already announced workforce reductions.
August 25, 2026, United States — Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Cellares will reduce its workforce after losing a large pharmaceutical client. According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) obtained by *Biopharma Dive*, Cellares will cut 100 jobs. The company's CEO, Fabian Gerlinghaus, said on social media that the company is making difficult adjustment decisions.
This adjustment stems from Bristol Myers Squibb terminating its manufacturing partnership with Cellares. A BMS spokesperson said Cellares' Cell Shuttle system could not meet the production requirements for its CAR-T therapy Breyanzi commercial batches. Cellares' collaboration with BMS began in 2024, when a $380 million manufacturing agreement was announced.
Cellares' layoffs are the latest in the biopharma corporate restructuring cases tracked by BioSpace in 2026. The following is a summary of recent personnel changes at other companies:
- Kolon TissueGene: The company announced on August 19 that it cut 37 employees at its site in Rockville, Maryland, following the failure of its lead candidate TG-C in a Phase III study for knee osteoarthritis.
- EMD Serono: The U.S. subsidiary of Merck Group will cut 20 employees across multiple functions at its Billerica R&D facility from mid-October to the end of the month.
- Sanofi and Blueprint Medicines: Sanofi confirmed on August 17 that its subsidiary Blueprint Medicines will cut 229 positions at its Cambridge site, approximately 33% of its total workforce. Sanofi acquired Blueprint for $9.5 billion in 2025.
- MindMaze Therapeutics: After completing a business simplification and divestiture of non-core assets, the company eliminated a small number of legacy Relief Therapeutics positions.
- Aardvark Therapeutics: According to its second-quarter filing, the company's headcount fell from 40 in April to 28 at the end of July, and its consultant count fell from 35 to 27, partly due to the discontinuation of the Phase III HERO trial.
- Aura Biosciences: The company announced on August 11 that it cut approximately 20% of its staff (about 23 people), redirecting resources to its ocular oncology programs while pausing investment in its non-muscle invasive bladder cancer program.These measures reflect that the biopharmaceutical industry, after years of expansion, is entering a phase of structural adjustment. Companies are reassessing pipeline priorities, production capacity, and human resource allocation to adapt to the new market environment.
BioSpace's layoff tracker page continues to record industry developments to help professionals and investors understand labor market changes.
Original report link: BioSpace Layoff Tracker
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