Cellares, the automated cell therapy manufacturer that has risen rapidly since its 2019 founding in South San Francisco, is now confronting a significant business setback.
Co-founder and CEO Fabian Gerlinghaus revealed over the weekend in a LinkedIn post that a “large pharmaceutical customer” has ended its partnership with the company in a move he described as “specific to” that customer.
“The loss of this partnership requires us to resize the company,” Gerlinghaus wrote, without specifying how many roles or which types of positions would be affected by the cuts.
He added that the restructuring meant “saying goodbye to talented colleagues who helped build Cellares and advance our mission,” expressing gratitude for those affected and committing to support them through the transition.
Gerlinghaus also invited LinkedIn users to contact him directly for access to the company’s resume book, signalling an effort to help departing staff find new opportunities elsewhere in the industry.
A Cellares spokesperson confirmed to media that the company could not comment on specific headcount details or reveal the identity of the customer that has walked away from the arrangement.
“This reduction is designed to concentrate Cellares’ people and resources behind the clinical and commercial programs the company is advancing,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Despite the setback, Gerlinghaus was keen to stress that Cellares’ technology retains strong clinical credentials, pointing to milestone patient administrations of cell therapies produced on its Cell Shuttle platform earlier this year.
He also noted that the company has more than doubled its customer base since the start of 2026, and said that recent conversations with prospective partners have been encouraging, adding that customers “know what we can deliver.”
“Our customers know our technology, they know our teams, and they know what we can deliver,” Gerlinghaus said in his post, maintaining that the company’s fundamentals “remain strong.”
Cellares has built its reputation around its Cell Shuttle automated manufacturing platform and its companion quality control technology, the Cell Q, which together form what Gerlinghaus has previously described as “two fully integrated technologies.”
The company has attracted partnerships from major players in the cell therapy space, including Bristol Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences’ Kite Pharma, with the BMS deal alone worth a potential $380 million at the time of signing.
More recently, Cellares brought Sonoma Biotherapeutics onto its books in July with an agreement to automate manufacturing of Sonoma’s lead programme targeting poly-refractory rheumatoid arthritis.
Cellares and partner Cabaletta Bio also recently extended their relationship with a 10-year commercial supply agreement for rese-cel, a CAR-T cell therapy being investigated across several autoimmune indications.
On the regulatory front, the company has received notable recognition from the FDA, including an advanced manufacturing technology designation for the Cell Shuttle and selection of its Bridgewater, New Jersey site for the agency’s PreCheck Pilot Program.
The PreCheck Pilot Program is designed to strengthen domestic drug production and bolster US supply chain resilience, with the Bridgewater facility being one of just seven sites chosen nationwide.
Cellares also closed a sizeable Series D funding round near the start of 2026, further underlining investor confidence in its long-term model even as it now navigates the loss of one of its most significant customer relationships.