On March 9, 2023 Caribou Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRBU), a leading clinical-stage CRISPR genome-editing biopharmaceutical company, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2022 and reviewed recent pipeline progress (Press release, Caribou Biosciences, MAR 9, 2023, View Source [SID1234628437]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
"We successfully demonstrated the potential of our chRDNA genome-editing technology with promising clinical data from CB-010, our lead allogeneic cell therapy," said Rachel Haurwitz, PhD, Caribou’s president and chief executive officer. "The initial dose level of CB-010 demonstrated 6-month complete response rates that have the potential to rival the responses seen with approved autologous CAR-T cell therapies. We are excited that the FDA granted the CB-010 program RMAT and Fast Track designations last year. Our team drove additional pipeline progress with an IND clearance for CB-011, enabling us to activate clinical sites for our CaMMouflage Phase 1 trial. In 2023, Caribou plans to maintain this momentum by advancing two ongoing clinical trials for our off-the-shelf cell therapies in patients with hematologic malignancies and preparing an IND submission for our third program, CB-012."
Accomplishments and Highlights
Pipeline and Technology
•CB-010: Caribou reported promising data at dose level 1 (40×106 CAR-T cells) from its ongoing ANTLER Phase 1 clinical trial of CB-010 in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (r/r B-NHL).
◦Following a single infusion of CB-010 at dose level 1, all 6 patients in cohort 1 achieved complete responses as their best response. 3 of 6 patients maintained complete responses at 6 months, with 2 of 6 maintaining complete responses at 12 months. Caribou plans to provide an update from the ongoing ANTLER Phase 1 trial for CB-010 in H2 2023.
◦Clinical data presentations are available on Caribou’s website under Scientific Publications (www.cariboubio.com/technology/#pubs).
◦Following demonstration of an encouraging safety profile at dose level 2 (80×106 CAR-T cells), with no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) in the 3 patients treated, Caribou continues to enroll patients at dose level 3 (120×106 CAR-T cells).
◦The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted CB-010 Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT), Fast Track, and Orphan Drug designations. These
designations provide important benefits in the drug development process and are designed to facilitate and expedite development and regulatory review, including providing eligibility for priority and rolling reviews and accelerated approval, if relevant criteria are satisfied.
◦CB-010 is the first allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy in the clinic, to Caribou’s knowledge, with a PD-1 knockout (KO), a genome-editing strategy designed to improve antitumor activity by limiting premature CAR-T cell exhaustion.
◦Additional information on the ANTLER trial (NCT04637763) can be found at clinicaltrials.gov (View Source).
•CB-011: Caribou recently activated clinical sites for the recruitment of patients at dose level 1 (50×106 CAR-T cells) of CB-011 in the CaMMouflage Phase 1 trial for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM).
◦CB-011 is the first allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy in the clinic, to Caribou’s knowledge, that is engineered to improve antitumor activity through an immune cloaking strategy with a B2M KO and insertion of a B2M–HLA-E fusion protein to blunt immune-mediated rejection.
◦Preclinical data for CB-011 were presented in a poster at the 2023 Tandem Meeting: Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT and CIBMTR, February 15-19, 2023, in Orlando, Florida. The poster presentation is available on Caribou’s website under Scientific Publications (www.cariboubio.com/technology/#pubs).
◦Additional information on the CaMMouflage trial (NCT05722418) can be found at clinicaltrials.gov (View Source).
•CB-012: Caribou has initiated IND-enabling studies for CB-012, an allogeneic anti-CLL-1 CAR-T cell therapy, to support a planned IND application submission for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (r/r AML).
◦CB-012 is the first allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy, to Caribou’s knowledge, with both checkpoint disruption, through a PD-1 KO, and immune cloaking, through a B2M KO and B2M–HLA-E fusion protein insertion; both armoring strategies are designed to improve antitumor activity. CB-012 is engineered with 5 genome edits, enabled by Caribou’s next-generation CRISPR technology platform, which uses Cas12a chRDNA genome editing to significantly improve the specificity of genome edits.
◦In preclinical AML models, CB-012 significantly reduced tumor burden and increased overall survival compared to controls.
•CB-020: Caribou’s first induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapy, CB-020, is designed to target solid tumors expressing the tumor antigen ROR1.
◦Preclinical data supporting the selection of the ROR1 CAR construct and armoring strategies for the company’s CAR-NK cell platform were presented at the 12th American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) and Japanese Cancer Association (AACR-JCA) Joint Conference in December 2022. The poster presentation is available on Caribou’s website under Scientific Publications (www.cariboubio.com/technology/#pubs).
Anticipated 2023 Milestones
•CB-010: Caribou plans to provide an update from the ongoing ANTLER Phase 1 trial for CB-010 in H2 2023.
•CB-011: Caribou recently activated clinical sites for the recruitment of patients at dose level 1 and plans to provide an update on the clearance of dose levels as appropriate from the CaMMouflage Phase 1 trial for CB-011.
•CB-012: Caribou plans to submit an IND application for CB-012 in H2 2023.
Upcoming Investor Conferences
•Caribou management plans to participate in the following investor conferences:
◦March 15: Oppenheimer’s 33rd Annual Healthcare Investor Conference, virtual
◦May 9-11: BofA Securities 2023 Healthcare Conference, Las Vegas
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Financial Results
Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities: Caribou had $317.0 million in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities as of December 31, 2022, compared to $413.5 million as of December 31, 2021. Caribou expects these cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund its current operating plan into 2025.
Licensing and collaboration revenue: Revenue from Caribou’s licensing and collaboration agreements was $3.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and $13.9 million for the full year 2022, compared to $2.6 and $9.6 million, respectively, for the same periods 2021. The increases were primarily due to revenue recognized under the AbbVie Agreement.
R&D expenses: Research and development expenses were $25.7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and $82.2 million for full year 2022, compared to $15.1 and $52.3 million respectively, for the same periods in 2021. The increases were primarily due to costs to advance pipeline programs; increased headcount, including stock-based compensation; facilities and other allocated expenses; and increased external manufacturing and clinical activities.
G&A expenses: General and administrative expenses were $8.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and $38.0 million for the full year 2022, compared to $7.9 and $24.3 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2021. The increases were primarily due to increased headcount, including stock-based compensation; legal, accounting, insurance, and other expenses necessary to support the growth and operation of a clinical-stage public company; and facilities and other allocated expenses.
Net loss: Caribou reported a net loss of $27.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and $99.4 million for the full year 2022, compared to a net loss of $18.5 and $66.9 million, respectively, for the same periods in 2021.
About Caribou’s Novel Next-Generation CRISPR Platform
CRISPR genome editing uses easily designed, modular biological tools to make DNA changes in living cells. There are two basic components of Class 2 CRISPR systems: the nuclease protein that cuts DNA and the RNA molecule(s) that guide the nuclease to generate a site-specific, double-stranded break, leading to an edit at the targeted genomic site. CRISPR systems are capable of editing unintended genomic sites, known as off-target editing, which may lead to harmful effects on cellular function and
phenotype. In response to this challenge, Caribou has developed CRISPR hybrid RNA-DNA guides (chRDNAs; pronounced "chardonnays") that direct substantially more precise genome editing compared to all-RNA guides. Caribou is deploying the power of its Cas12a chRDNA technology to carry out high efficiency multiple edits, including multiplex gene insertions, to develop CRISPR-edited therapies.