Cellectis Expects to Cut Workforce 70% by 2027 as It Shifts to In Vivo Gene Editing
Key Facts
Cellectis expects to reduce its global workforce by up to 70% from its pre-transition level over 2026 and 2027, as part of an operational realignment aimed at turning the company into an in vivo gene-editing specialist. The company announced its strategic direction on September 14, 2026, while job cuts remain subject to completion of required consultation procedures and compliance with French and U.S. labor laws. The shift includes discontinuing the lasme-cel and eti-cel programs, halting enrollment of new patients and beginning to close trial sites. The company said patients who have received treatment will continue to be followed in accordance with protocol requirements. Resources will therefore move toward gene-editing programs that remain in preclinical development, with their initial clinical results still expected at later dates.
The company attributed its decision to abandon the two programs to changes in the clinical and commercial landscape in B-ALL and NHL during 2026. It said advances in first-line treatments had reduced relapses, while competition had intensified in later lines of therapy. This, the company said, slowed patient enrollment and lengthened the potential development timeline. Halting enrollment and closing sites will end the expansion of the two programs while maintaining follow-up for patients who have received treatment. The move comes alongside the company's focus on developing therapies designed to edit genes in vivo.
In the .HEAL-101 program, preclinical data showed an average of about 65% editing of the human APOC3 gene, reaching 70% after a single intravenous dose in a mouse model with a humanized liver. Cellectis said editing was limited to the liver, with no significant activity in the other tissues analyzed. In a disease model, the program reduced APOC3 by 67% ± 12% and triglycerides by 75% ± 11%, based on the mean and standard deviation. The company also said expanded data for the program strengthened its confidence in the new direction, with a 76% reduction in triglycerides recorded in another disease model. These results remain preclinical, while the company expects an investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial in China to begin, with initial clinical data expected in the second half of 2027.
The .HEAL-201 program targets the PCSK9 gene, with injections of messenger RNA packaged in lipid nanoparticles reducing plasma protein levels by more than 90% in a mouse model with a humanized liver. Cellectis also plans to begin an investigator-initiated Phase 1 trial in China for this program. The company expects initial clinical data in the first half of 2028. The timelines put the two programs on separate clinical paths, with .HEAL-101 data expected in the second half of 2027 ahead of .HEAL-201 data. The research collaboration with AstraZeneca continues, with the aim of developing up to 10 cell and gene therapy products in areas including oncology, immunology and rare genetic disorders.
Cellectis had about 149 million dollars in cash, cash equivalents and time deposits as of September 30, 2026. The company said the operational model realignment is intended to extend its cash runway into the second half of 2028, a date beyond the expected timing of initial data from the two programs. Revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, fell to 14.8 million dollars from 61.9 million dollars in the corresponding period of 2025. The company linked the 47.8 million dollar decline mainly to the level of activity carried out under the research plans in its AstraZeneca agreement. These figures provide the financial backdrop to the shift, which combines spending cuts with the reallocation of resources to new programs.
Cellectis shares, listed under the ticker CLLS, closed at 1.33 dollars on November 12, 2026, according to EL7 daily pricing data. The close followed 1.38 dollars on November 11, while the stock had closed at 1.11 dollars on November 10. The company reported third-quarter results on November 12 after the U.S. market close. It scheduled an investor call and webcast for November 13 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time, or 2:00 p.m. Central European Time. The company is expected to present its financial results and an update on the progress of its transition and programs during the call.