BlueRock Therapeutics, owned by Bayer, is laying off 50 employees and closing its research labs in Cambridge, Massachusetts in a move to streamline operations and focus on priority cell therapy programs1234.
The job cuts impact all BlueRock sites, but the company will retain its Cambridge headquarters, with ongoing research activities at its New York and Toronto locations123.
The restructuring is part of a strategic shift to concentrate resources on lead pipeline assets including bemdaneprocel, a stem cell–derived therapy in phase 3 for Parkinson’s disease, and OpCT-001, an iPSC therapy for primary photoreceptor diseases1.
This decision aligns with a broader trend of layoffs in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors in 2024 and 2025, with BlueRock previously cutting 12% of its workforce in earlier rounds5.
Sources:
1. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/bayer-owned-bluerock-lays-50-employees-shuts-cambridge-research-labs
2. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/fierce-biotech-layoff-tracker-2025
3. https://firstwordpharma.com/story/5976199
4. https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2025/06/26/bluerock-mispro-portal.html
5. https://www.drugdiscoverytrends.com/biotech-industry-trends-2024-layoffs-acquisitions-stock-performance/