BlueRock Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Bayer, is laying off approximately 50 employees across all of its sites as part of a pipeline and organizational streamlining effort. The company aims to focus resources on key development programs.
As part of the reorganization, BlueRock will shutter its research labs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, though it will retain its headquarters there. Research at sites in Toronto and New York will continue. Following the layoffs, BlueRock will have around 380 employees.
The initiative will prioritize the late-stage development of bemdaneprocel, currently in a Phase III trial for Parkinson’s disease, as well as early-stage cell therapies OpCT-001 and DA02, targeting photoreceptor diseases and Parkinson’s, respectively.
Leap Therapeutics will lay off approximately 75% of its workforce in two phases—around June 30 and July 31—as it winds down R&D operations and explores strategic options, including a potential sale. The company had already announced in May it would cut half its staff.
The latest filing reveals that Chief Operating Officer Augustine Lawlor and Chief Medical Officer Cyndi Sirard will depart in the two waves of layoffs. Based on Leap’s 52 full-time employees as of December 2024, the biotech could have fewer than 10 remaining staffers.
Also on June 23, Leap shared positive Phase II results from Part B of its DeFianCe trial but announced it would wind down the study due to market conditions. The company is seeking partnership or sale opportunities for its assets, including DKK1 antibody sirexatamab and anti-GDF-15 antibody FL-501.
Prothena will reduce its workforce by 63%, a move that likely includes the 91 employees laid off in Brisbane, California, according to a WARN notice earlier this month. The cuts follow the discontinuation of birtamimab after a failed Phase III trial.
The Dublin-based biotech said the move is intended to “substantially reduce operating costs” as the company evaluates strategic options with its board and advisors. Prothena ended Q1 2025 with $418.8 million in cash and has potential to earn $105 million from milestones next year.
Despite the cuts, development continues for partnered programs, including Alzheimer’s assets with Bristol Myers Squibb and the Parkinson’s therapy prasinezumab with Roche. Shares rose earlier this month after Roche said it would proceed with Phase III development despite a mid-stage miss.
BioNTech will shut down its Gaithersburg, Maryland, cell therapy facility and lay off 63 employees, according to a WARN notice and reporting from Fierce Pharma. The layoffs take effect August 9.
The company is discontinuing BNT211 for testicular cancer and germ cell tumors but will continue its development in relapsed or refractory solid tumors. The move comes after two major business deals, including an $11 billion partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb and the $1.25 billion acquisition of CureVac.
Lycia Therapeutics has laid off 23 employees, according to an email shared with BioSpace. No WARN notice has been issued, and the company has not made an official statement about the cuts.
The layoffs come as Lycia continues IND-enabling studies for its LYTAC-based programs in allergic indications and Graves’ disease. The company raised $106.6 million in Series C funding last year but has yet to enter the clinic. LinkedIn lists 52 associated members.
Scorpion Therapeutics laid off an undisclosed number of staff before spinning out preclinical assets to Antares Therapeutics. Antares, led by former Scorpion CEO Adam Friedman, now has around 100 employees, while some Scorpion workers joined Eli Lilly after its acquisition of Scorpion’s lead PI3Kα program.
The restructuring aimed to “right size” the organization, particularly clinical development. Scorpion had around 150 employees before the transition.
Gilead Sciences is cutting 36 roles in Oceanside, California, effective August 15, as it relocates biologics development and manufacturing roles to Foster City. The decision follows an earlier layoff of 149 staff in Foster City announced in March.
The Oceanside facility supports Gilead and its Kite Pharma subsidiary’s clinical manufacturing operations. A spokesperson said the co-location effort is intended to consolidate biologics teams under one roof.
ImmunityBio will lay off three employees at its Woburn, Massachusetts, site between July 29 and August 12, according to a WARN notice. The company previously cut 10 roles in California earlier this year.
The immunotherapy and cell therapy company is trimming operations across multiple sites as part of broader cost-saving efforts.
ADC Therapeutics is cutting 30% of its workforce—around 80 roles—and closing its U.K. research facility. The move is intended to reduce costs and extend the company’s cash runway into 2028.
The Switzerland-based biotech is also trimming its pipeline, discontinuing early-stage solid tumor programs except for its exatecan-based ADC targeting PSMA. The company recently secured a $100 million PIPE deal to support development of Zynlonta, its FDA- and EMA-approved lymphoma therapy.
Third Harmonic Bio will shut down following shareholder approval of a liquidation and dissolution plan on June 5. The move comes four months after the company cut 50% of staff and paused all R&D outside its KIT inhibitor THB335.
The closure will impact both its San Francisco HQ and Cambridge, Massachusetts, site. Third Harmonic reported a $15.8 million Q1 loss and had 31 employees as of March 31. Asset sales are underway, with shareholders expected to receive $5.30–$5.35 per share.
After enduring multiple rounds of layoffs last year, Genentech is once again reducing its workforce. According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice, the Roche subsidiary will let go of 143 employees at its South San Francisco headquarters. The layoffs are scheduled to take effect on July 14.
Roche characterized the cuts as routine, stating that "regular reviews of our strategy and operating model ensure we deliver on our commitments." This move follows a turbulent year for Genentech, which saw a 3% workforce reduction affecting over 400 employees in April 2024, the closure of its cancer immunology group in August, and an additional 93 layoffs later that year.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is laying off 140 employees following the discontinuation of its diabetes cell therapy-device program, VX-264. According to a WARN letter dated June 6, 125 of the affected employees are based in Rhode Island, where the company is consolidating three Providence locations into one.
The layoffs come in the wake of VX-264’s failure to meet efficacy expectations in a Phase I/II study. Vertex took a $400 million impairment charge related to the program’s termination. The company noted that only roles directly tied to the shelved therapy were impacted.
Recursion Pharmaceuticals will cut 20% of its staff—around 160 employees—as part of a cost-saving initiative aimed at extending its cash runway. The Utah-based company disclosed the layoffs in a June 10 SEC filing, citing $11 million in one-time expenses.
Despite the cuts, Recursion expects its cash position to support operations through Q4 2027. The company ended Q1 2025 with a $203 million net loss and $509 million in cash and equivalents. At the end of 2024, Recursion employed over 800 people.
Biomanufacturing startup National Resilience is shutting down six of its 10 sites across the U.S., including facilities in Massachusetts, California, and Florida. The company did not disclose the number of employees affected.
The consolidation is supported by $250 million in bridge financing from investors, with remaining operations centered at the company's Cincinnati site. National Resilience previously laid off 120 employees in January at its North Carolina site.
Capsida Biotherapeutics has trimmed its workforce as it transitions from preclinical to clinical development. The company did not specify the number of affected employees but confirmed the restructuring to BioSpace.
The move comes as Capsida prepares for clinical trials of its CAP-002 gene therapy, which recently received FDA IND clearance. The Thousand Oaks–based company lists 115 employees on LinkedIn, several of whom recently marked themselves as #opentowork following the layoffs.
California-based Rapt Therapeutics has implemented another round of layoffs, though details remain sparse. A company spokesperson confirmed the action but declined to elaborate on timing, roles, or total headcount impacted.
The latest downsizing follows a November 2024 restructuring tied to the discontinuation of zelnecirnon, an investigational drug halted after an FDA clinical hold due to a liver failure case. That round affected 47 employees, about 40% of the workforce.
Protein degradation biotech Plexium has enacted a workforce reduction to align resources with its R&D pipeline. Though the company didn’t provide numbers, several employees shared on LinkedIn that they were impacted by the restructuring.
Plexium, headquartered in San Diego, has raised over $100 million in funding to support its oncology-focused protein degradation platform.
Keros Therapeutics is reducing its workforce by 45%, leaving 85 employees post-layoffs. The cuts follow the discontinuation of its lead candidate cibotercept for pulmonary arterial hypertension due to safety concerns.
The decision comes after cases of pericardial effusion were reported during trials. The move is expected to save $17 million annually. Dosing in all study arms was fully halted by early 2025.
Stealth BioTherapeutics has laid off around 30% of its workforce, or roughly 28 employees based on LinkedIn estimates. The restructuring is meant to support a resubmission of its NDA for Barth syndrome candidate elamipretide.
The FDA previously rejected the filing but left the door open for accelerated approval. The company’s data, however, have been the subject of skepticism, with a mixed vote from an advisory committee in October 2024.
