Cellares to cut 168 jobs in U.S. after losing BMS contract, including 68 more in New Jersey

Cellares will cut 68 jobs in New Jersey as part of a restructuring following the loss of its cell therapy contract with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS).

According to Fierce Pharma on the 2nd (local time), Cellares said in a filing with the New Jersey Department of Labor that it would cut 68 jobs at its Bridgewater site around Nov. 19. The site is home to the company’s smart factory in the U.S.

Cellares had previously announced job cuts at its headquarters in South San Francisco, California. Including the New Jersey cuts, the total number of jobs being eliminated in the U.S. will rise to 168.

Cellares CEO Fabian Gerlinghaus said on LinkedIn last month that the company had “lost a large pharmaceutical customer” and “therefore needs to adjust the size of the company.”

The company declined to officially confirm the identity of the departing customer, but multiple sources said it was BMS. In 2024, BMS entered a partnership worth up to $380 million, becoming an early validator of Cellares’ cell therapy manufacturing approach.

Gerlinghaus emphasized at the time that the contract termination was “specific to that customer.” He said, “Customers know our technology, our team and what we can deliver.”

Cellares manufactures cell therapies using its automated manufacturing platform, Cell Shuttle, and its quality-control automation technology, Cell Q. The company installs multiple shuttles and Cell Q systems at its facilities and leases manufacturing space to customers.

Cellares had continued to grow until recently. Cell Shuttle received Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year, and the company was among seven selected to participate in the FDA’s PreCheck Pilot Program at the end of June.

In addition to its sites in California and New Jersey, Cellares signed a lease in January for a European hub and additional manufacturing facilities in the Netherlands. It later closed a $257 million Series D financing round and said it would use the proceeds to build new facilities in the Netherlands and Japan.