BioNTech is winding down cell therapy manufacturing at its Gaithersburg, Maryland facility, resulting in 63 layoffs from its technical operations team1234.
The decision follows the discontinuation of BioNTech’s CLDN6-directed CAR-T asset BNT211 in testicular cancer and germ cell tumors, due to results from a phase 1 trial123.
Manufacturing at the Maryland site, which BioNTech acquired from Kite Pharma in 2021, will cease by the end of 20252.
The layoff process will begin later this summer, per a recent WARN filing with state authorities2.
BioNTech will continue to develop BNT211 for other cancer indications outside of testicular cancer12.
Sources:
1. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/fierce-biotech-layoff-tracker-2025
2. https://www.fiercepharma.com/manufacturing/biontech-wind-down-cell-therapy-manufacturing-maryland-lay-63-it-ends-development-car
3. https://firstwordpharma.com/story/5973847
4. https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2025/06/17/biontech-layoffs-gaithersburg-maryland.html