• KOL panel to discuss how vispa-cel, an anti-CD19 allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy, can broaden access for patients with second-line large B cell lymphoma including through use in the community setting

BERKELEY, Calif., Dec. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caribou Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRBU), a leading clinical-stage CRISPR genome-editing biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it will host an expert physician panel discussion during an ancillary event at the 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition. The session will focus on how vispa-cel, Caribou’s allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy, has the potential to expand patient access by enabling readily available CAR-T cell therapy care within sophisticated community hospitals and academic centers.

The event will be held in-person at the Hyatt Regency Orlando starting at 7:30AM ET on Saturday, December 6, 2025 and will be available virtually via webcast. The event will be moderated by Tina Albertson, MD, PhD, Caribou’s chief medical officer, and feature insights from leading physicians from community hospitals and academic centers:

  • Wayne Ormsby, MD – Utah Cancer Specialists
  • Justin Thomas, MD – Bozeman Health
  • Mehdi Hamadani, MD – Medical College of Wisconsin
  • Joseph McGuirk, DO – University of Kansas Cancer Center

These distinguished clinicians will share their perspectives on autologous CAR-T cell therapy access challenges, patient population needs, and how an allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy like vispa-cel, with safety and efficacy on par with autologous CAR-T cell therapies , may fit within the evolving treatment landscape and enable broader patient access.

To register for the virtual event, please visit the Events page here . A replay of the event will be posted to the Events page following the session. In-person attendance is invite-only, and invites have been distributed via email. If you are interested in attending in person, please email [email protected] .

About vispacabtagene regedleucel
Vispacabtagene regedleucel (vispa-cel; formerly known as CB-010) is an allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy being evaluated in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (r/r B-NHL). To Caribou’s knowledge, vispa-cel is the first allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy in the clinic with a PD-1 knockout, a genome-editing strategy designed to enhance CAR-T cell activity by limiting premature CAR-T cell exhaustion. The FDA granted vispa-cel Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT), Orphan Drug, and Fast Track designations for B-NHL.

About the ANTLER phase 1 clinical trial
The ANTLER clinical trial is a multicenter, open-label phase 1 trial evaluating vispa-cel in adult patients with r/r B-NHL. Eighty-four patients have been treated in the ANTLER clinical trial as of September 2, 2025. Using a 3+3 enrollment strategy, safety and efficacy were assessed in 16 patients in dose escalation evaluating 40x10 6 , 80x10 6 , and 120x10 6 CAR-T cell dose levels with a lymphodepletion (LD) regimen of cyclophosphamide at 60 mg/kg/day for 2 days followed by fludarabine at 25 mg/m 2 /day for 5 days. Forty-one second-line large B cell lymphoma (2L LBCL) patients were enrolled in the dose expansion portion, and 80x10 6 CAR-T cells was selected as the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D). An additional 22 2L LBCL patients were enrolled in the confirmatory cohort, which prospectively evaluated the Company’s partial HLA matching strategy. Five patients were enrolled in a cohort of third-line or later LBCL patients with prior exposure to CD19-targeted therapy. November 3, 2025 the Company announced positive data from the ANTLER trial demonstrating efficacy and durability of vispa-cel on par with autologous CAR-T cell therapies . Additional information on the ANTLER trial ( NCT04637763 ) can be found at clinicaltrials.gov .

About Caribou Biosciences, Inc.
Caribou is a clinical-stage CRISPR genome-editing biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing transformative therapies for patients with devastating diseases. The Company’s genome-editing platform, including its Cas12a chRDNA technology, enables superior precision to develop cell therapies that are armored to potentially improve activity against diseases. Caribou is focused on vispacabtagene regedleucel (vispa-cel) and CB-011 as off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapies that have the potential to provide broad access and rapid treatment for patients with hematologic malignancies. Follow the Company @CaribouBio and visit www.cariboubio.com .

Forward-looking statements and important information
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, any statements regarding the initiation, timing, progress, strategy, plans, objectives, expectations (including as to the results) with respect to the Company’s CAR-T cell therapy product candidate clinical trials, including the expected design, protocol, and timing of initiation of the pivotal phase 3 clinical trial for vispa-cel in 2L LBCL CD19-naïve patients; for initiating dose expansion by the end of 2025 and reporting dose expansion data, along with longer follow-up data on dose escalation; its ability to successfully develop its CAR-T cell therapy product candidates and to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for these product candidates; the likelihood of its clinical trials demonstrating safety and efficacy of its CAR-T cell therapy product candidates; the beneficial characteristics, safety, efficacy, therapeutic effects, and potential advantages of its CAR-T cell therapy product candidates; and the expected timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approval for its CAR-T cell therapy product candidates. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made. However, such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks inherent in the development of allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy products; uncertainties related to the initiation, cost, timing, progress, and results of its current and future clinical trials; the risk that initial, preliminary, or interim clinical trial data will not ultimately be predictive of the safety and efficacy of its CAR-T cell therapy product candidates or that clinical outcomes may differ as patient enrollment continues and as more patient data becomes available; the risk that different conclusions or considerations are reached once additional data have been received and fully evaluated; the ability to obtain key regulatory input and approvals; and risks related to its limited operating history, history of net operating losses, financial position, and its ability to raise additional capital as needed to fund its operations and CAR-T cell therapy product candidate development, including the ability to fully fund its pivotal phase 3 clinical trial for vispa-cel; as well as other risk factors described from time to time in Caribou’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and subsequent SEC filings. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Except as required by law, Caribou undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

Caution should be exercised when interpreting results from separate trials involving commercially approved autologous CAR-T cell therapies. The results of autologous CAR-T cell therapies referenced in this press release have been derived from publicly available reports of clinical trials not conducted by Caribou, and Caribou has not performed any head-to-head trials comparing any of these autologous CAR-T cell therapies with vispa-cel. As such, the results of these autologous CAR-T cell therapy clinical trials may not be comparable to clinical results for vispa-cel. The autologous CAR-T cell therapy clinical trials vary in material ways from the ANTLER clinical trial for vispa-cel including with respect to trial design and duration, patient population, patient characteristics, clinical trial phase, treatment protocols, investigators, and other important factors. As a result, cross-trial comparisons may have no interpretive value on Caribou’s existing or future clinical results. For further information and to understand these material differences, you should read the reports for the autologous CAR-T cell therapy clinical trials and the sources included in Caribou’s corporate presentations on its website.

Caribou Biosciences, Inc. contacts:
Peggy Vorwald, PhD
[email protected]
[email protected]