CRBU US Equity☆

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion and analysis contain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our intentions, plans, projections and expectations for our business. Forward-looking statements are based upon current beliefs, plans and expectations related to future events and our future financial performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those described in or implied by these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth the “Risk Factors” section in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. See also the Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We are a clinical-stage Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (“CRISPR”) genome-editing biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing transformative therapies for patients with devastating diseases. Our genome-editing platform is based on our novel chRDNA (CRISPR hybrid RNA-DNA, or “chRDNA,” pronounced “chardonnay”) genome-editing technology, which enables more precise genome editing of allogeneic cell therapies.

Our allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (“CAR”) -T (“CAR-T”) cell therapy product candidates are manufactured in advance with cells from healthy donors, with the goal of enabling broad patient access, rapid patient treatment, and increased manufacturing scale. Our allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy product candidates in clinical development are directed at established cell surface targets against which autologous CAR-T cell therapeutics have already demonstrated clinical proof of concept, CD19 and B cell maturation antigen (“BCMA”). We use our chRDNA technology to armor our cell therapy product candidates through genome-editing strategies, such as checkpoint disruption and immune cloaking, to enhance allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy activity against hematologic malignancies.

We are advancing two clinical-stage allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy product candidates for the treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies:

•Vispacabtagene regedleucel (“vispa-cel,” formerly CB-010): an allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy that has been evaluated in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (“r/r B-NHL”) in our ANTLER phase 1 clinical trial

•CB-011: an allogeneic anti-BCMA CAR-T cell therapy that is being evaluated in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (“r/r MM”) in our CaMMouflage phase 1 clinical trial

Since our founding in 2011, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to organizing and staffing, business planning, raising capital, expanding our genome-editing platform technologies, developing our product candidates and building our pipeline, creating and maintaining our intellectual property portfolio, and establishing arrangements with third parties for the manufacture, testing, and clinical trial evaluations of our product candidates. We do not have any products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any revenue from product sales. We have incurred operating losses since commencement of our operations.

To date, we have primarily funded our operations through proceeds from the sales of our capital stock, revenue from our license and collaboration agreements, and proceeds from the sale of shares of Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (“Intellia”) common stock.

Our net losses for the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024 were $148.1 million and $149.1 million, respectively. We had an accumulated deficit of $596.5 million as of December 31, 2025. Our net losses and operating losses may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year depending primarily on the timing of expenses associated with our clinical trials and nonclinical studies and our other research and development expenses. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially as we:

•progress our clinical trials for our vispa-cel and CB-011 cell therapy product candidates, particularly as we advance vispa-cel in our planned pivotal clinical trial;

•hire additional personnel, as needed;

•acquire or in-license intellectual property, new technologies, and/or additional product candidates;

•expand, maintain, enforce, and defend our intellectual property portfolio;

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•seek regulatory and marketing approvals for our vispa-cel and CB-011 product candidates if our clinical trials are successful;

•expand manufacturing capabilities and supply chain capacity for our vispa-cel and CB-011 product candidates;

•experience any delays, challenges, or other issues associated with any of the above, including the failure of clinical trials meeting endpoints, generation of clinical trial data subject to differing interpretations, or the occurrence of potential safety issues or other development or regulatory challenges;

•make royalty, milestone, or other payments under current, and any future, in-license or assignment agreements with third parties;

•establish a sales, marketing, and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval; and

•continue to operate as a public company, including defending against any future class action securities litigation.

We do not own or operate any manufacturing facilities. We use multiple contract manufacturing organizations (“CMOs”) to individually manufacture, under current good manufacturing processes, our chRDNA guides, Cas9 and Cas12a proteins, plasmids, and adeno-associated virus serotype 6 (“AAV6”) vectors used in the manufacture of our cell therapy product candidates as well as the CAR-T cell therapy product candidates themselves. We expect to continue to rely on our CMOs for manufacturing our clinical trial materials, and most of these CMOs have capabilities for commercial manufacturing. Additionally, we may decide to build our own manufacturing facility in the future to provide greater flexibility and control over our clinical or commercial manufacturing needs.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with therapeutic product development, we may never achieve profitability and, unless and until we are able to develop and commercialize our product candidates, we will need to continue to raise additional capital. Until such time, if ever, that we can generate significant revenue from product sales, we expect to finance our operations through equity offerings (including our at-the-market equity offering program), debt financings, new strategic collaborations, structured or other non-dilutive financings, licensing arrangements, and/or other sources. We cannot provide any assurance that we will be successful in obtaining an adequate level of financing to support our business plans as needed on acceptable terms, or at all. If we raise additional funds through collaborations, new strategic collaborations, structured or other non-dilutive financings, or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our intellectual property, future revenue streams, or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise capital as and when needed or on attractive terms, we may have to significantly delay, reduce, or discontinue the development and commercialization of our product candidates or scale back or terminate our pursuit of new in-licenses and acquisitions.

Components of Results of Operations

Licensing and Collaboration Revenue

We have not generated any revenue from product sales to date and do not expect to generate any revenue from the sale of products in the foreseeable future. We cannot predict if, when, or to what extent we will generate revenue from the commercialization and sale of our product candidates if we succeed in obtaining regulatory approval for these product candidates.

To date, all of our revenue consists of licensing and collaboration revenue earned from collaboration and/or licensing agreements entered into with third parties, including related parties. Under these agreements, we license rights to certain intellectual property controlled by us. The terms of these arrangements typically include payments to us of one or more of the following: nonrefundable, upfront license fees or exclusivity fees; annual maintenance fees; regulatory and/or commercial milestone payments; research and development payments; and royalties on the net sales of products and/or services. Each of these payments results in licensing and collaboration revenue. Revenue under such licensing and collaboration agreements was $11.2 million and $10.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, respectively. See Notes 5 and 7 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

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For the foreseeable future, we expect substantially all our revenue will be generated from licensing and collaboration agreements.

Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Our research and development expenses consist of internal and external expenses incurred in connection with the development of our product candidates and our genome-editing platform technologies, and our in-licensing, assignment, and other third-party agreements.

External costs include:

•costs associated with acquiring technology and intellectual property licenses that have no alternative future uses, sublicensing revenues, and milestones;

•costs incurred in connection with the clinical development and manufacturing of our product candidates, including under agreements with CMOs, suppliers, contract research organizations (“CROs”), and clinical sites; and

•other research and development costs, including lab supplies, and consulting services.

Internal costs include:

•personnel-related costs, including salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation expense, for our research and development personnel; and

•allocated facilities and other overhead expenses, including expenses for rent, facilities maintenance, and depreciation.

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Costs of certain activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks. However, payments made prior to the receipt of goods or services that will be used or rendered for future research and development activities are deferred and capitalized as prepaid expenses and other current assets on our consolidated balance sheets. The capitalized amounts are recognized as expenses as the goods are delivered or as related services are performed. We separately track certain external costs on a program-by-program basis; however, we do not track costs that are deployed across our programs. We do not allocate internal costs as several of our departments support our programs and our payroll and other personnel expenses are not tracked on a program-by-program basis.

Clinical development activities are central to our business model. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. We expect that our research and development expenses will increase substantially for the foreseeable future as we continue to implement our business strategy; advance our product candidates through clinical trials; conduct translational research to support our product candidates; seek regulatory approvals for our product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials; and hire additional personnel to support our clinical development efforts.

The successful development of our CAR-T product candidates is highly uncertain. Accordingly, at this time, we cannot reasonably estimate or know the nature, timing, and costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the development of our product candidates. We are also unable to predict when, if ever, we will generate revenue and material net cash inflows from the commercialization and sale of any of our product candidates for which we may obtain marketing approval. We may never succeed in achieving regulatory approval for any of our product candidates. The duration, costs, and timing of clinical trials, and development of our product candidates will depend on a variety of factors, including:

•sufficiency of our financial and other resources;

•acceptance of our CRISPR chRDNA genome-editing technology;

•ability to develop differentiating features so that our products have a competitive edge;

•establishment, maintenance, enforcement, and defense of our patents and other intellectual property rights;

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•our ability to not infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate third-party intellectual property rights;

•successful enrollment in, and completion of, our clinical trials of our product candidates;

•data from our clinical trials that support an acceptable risk-benefit profile of our product candidates for the intended patient populations and that demonstrate safety and efficacy;

•entry into collaborations to further the development of our product candidates;

•successful development of our internal process development and transfer to CMOs;

•establishment and maintenance of agreements with CMOs and suppliers for clinical and commercial supplies and scaling up manufacturing processes and capabilities to support our clinical trials;

•receipt of timely responses and marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities;

•grant of nonpatent regulatory exclusivity for our product candidates;

•establishment of sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities necessary for commercialization of our product candidates if approved, whether by us or in collaboration with third parties;

•maintenance of a continued acceptable safety profile of our products post-approval;

•acceptance of our product candidates, if approved by the applicable regulatory authorities, by patients, the medical community, and third-party payors;

•ability of our products to compete with other therapies and treatment options;

•establishment and maintenance of healthcare coverage and adequate reimbursement; and

•expanded indications and patient populations for our products.

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses for the periods indicated:

Year Ended December 31,

(in thousands)

External costs:

Internal costs:

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General and Administrative Expenses

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs, intellectual property costs, consulting costs, and allocated overhead, including rent, equipment depreciation, and utilities. Personnel-related costs consist of salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation expense for our general and administrative personnel. Intellectual property costs include expenses for filing, prosecuting, and maintaining patents and patent applications, including certain patents and patent applications that we license from third parties. We are entitled to receive reimbursement from third parties of a portion of the costs for filing, prosecuting, and maintaining certain patents and patent applications. We accrue for these reimbursements as the respective expenses are incurred and classify such reimbursements as a reduction of general and administrative expenses. During each of the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, we recorded $1.2 million of patent cost reimbursements as a reduction to general and administrative expenses.

We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future if our clinical trials are successful and if we prepare for potential commercialization of our product candidates, to support the growth and operations of a public company with late-stage clinical programs and potential commercial products.

Impairment Charges

Impairment charges consist of charges related to the strategic pipeline prioritization with workforce and cost reduction initiatives announced on April 24, 2025, and include impairment of our leasehold improvements, right of use assets, and lab equipment. See Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

Other (Expense) Income

Other (expense) income consists primarily of impairment of an equity investment, interest income earned on cash and marketable securities and the change in fair value of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (“MSKCC”) success payments liability under the now-terminated Exclusive License Agreement, dated November 13, 2020, with MSKCC (as amended, “MSKCC Agreement”).

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2025, and 2024

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the periods indicated:

Years Ended December 31, Change

(in thousands)

Operating expenses:

Other (expense) income

Impairment of equity investment (9,158) — (9,158)

Benefit from income taxes (550) (9) (541)

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Licensing and Collaboration Revenue

The following table summarizes our revenue by licensee for the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024:

Years Ended December 31,

(in thousands)

(1)Pfizer ceased to be a related party as of December 31, 2025.

Licensing and collaboration revenue increased by $1.2 million to $11.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $10.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. This increase is primarily due to a $2.8 million increase related to other licensees, which was partially offset by a $1.6 million decrease in revenue related to the issuance of additional shares of convertible preferred stock received as consideration to us under the Exclusive License Agreement for Veterinary Therapeutics (as amended, “Edge chRDNA License Agreement”) with Edge Animal Health (“Edge”) in the year ended December 31, 2024.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses decreased by $20.7 million to $109.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 from $130.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. This decrease was primarily due to (i) a decrease of $8.8 million in other research and development expenses primarily related to the reduction in workforce and strategic pipeline prioritization, (ii) a decrease of $5.5 million in personnel-related expenses related to the reduction in workforce and strategic pipeline prioritization, (iii) a net decrease of $3.1 million in external CMO and CRO activities, driven by a decrease of (a) $3.5 million due to timing of CMO activities, and an increase of (b) $0.4 million in CRO activities for our clinical trials, (iv) a decrease of $2.1 million in expenses related to licenses, sublicensing revenue, and milestones, and (v) a decrease of $1.2 million in other facilities and allocated expenses.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses decreased by $8.5 million to $37.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $46.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. This decrease was primarily related to a decrease of $4.7 million in legal expenses, including $3.9 million related to the accrual of a securities class action litigation settlement expense in 2024 and a decrease of $3.3 million in personnel-related expenses related to the reduction in workforce and strategic pipeline prioritization.

Impairment Charges

Impairment charges consist of charges related to the strategic pipeline prioritization with workforce and cost reduction initiatives announced on April 24, 2025, and include impairment of our leasehold improvements, right of use assets, and lab equipment. See Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

Other (Expense) Income

Total other (expense) income decreased by $17.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2024.

Impairment of equity investment was $9.2 million related to our equity investment in Edge for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to zero for the year ended December 31, 2024. See Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

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Other income, net decreased by $8.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to December 31, 2024. This decrease was primarily related to a $7.2 million decrease in interest income earned from marketable securities and a $1.4 million decrease in gain recognized related to the change in the fair value of the MSKCC success payments liability.

Benefit From Income Taxes

An income tax benefit of $0.6 million was recognized for the year ended December 31, 2025, which was primarily related to deferred federal and state taxes. An income tax benefit of less than $0.1 million was recognized for the year ended December 31, 2024, which was primarily related to deferred state taxes.

Liquidity, Capital Resources, and Capital Requirements

Sources of Liquidity

Since our inception through December 31, 2025, we have raised an aggregate net proceeds of $849.0 million to fund our operations through our initial public offering (“IPO”); sales of convertible preferred stock; a follow-on public offering; proceeds from our licensing, licensing and collaboration, service, and patent assignment agreements, including sales of Intellia stock; private placements; at-the-market equity offerings; and government grants.

As of December 31, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $142.8 million.

Shelf Registration Statements

On August 9, 2022, we filed a universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (“2022 Shelf Registration Statement”) with the SEC, which allowed us to sell, from time to time, up to $400.0 million of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, rights, or units comprised of any combination thereof (including the $100.0 million of common stock reserved under the 2022 Shelf Registration Statement for our at-the-market equity offering program described below).

On May 8, 2025, in anticipation of the expiration of the 2022 Shelf Registration Statement on August 16, 2025, we filed a new shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (“2025 Shelf Registration Statement”), which was declared effective by the SEC on May 14, 2025. Upon the effectiveness of the 2025 Shelf Registration Statement, the offering of securities under the 2022 Shelf Registration Statement was deemed terminated. Pursuant to the 2025 Shelf Registration Statement, we may, from time to time, sell up to $300.0 million of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, rights, or units comprised of any combination thereof (including the $100.0 million of common stock reserved under the 2025 Shelf Registration Statement for our at-the-market equity offering program described below). As of December 31, 2025, we had $295.7 million available for sale under the 2025 Shelf Registration Statement.

At-the-Market Equity Offering Program

On August 9, 2022, we entered into an at-the-market Open Market Sale AgreementSM (“ATM Sales Agreement”) with Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), pursuant to which, on the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth in the ATM Sales Agreement, from time to time, we could have issued and sold, through Jefferies, acting as sales agent, up to $100.0 million of our shares of common stock under the 2022 Shelf Registration Statement. Under the ATM Sales Agreement and the 2022 Shelf Registration Statement, we issued and sold an aggregate of 3,588,696 shares of our common stock at an average price per share of $4.71 for aggregate gross proceeds of $16.9 million ($16.2 million net of offering expenses).

With the effectiveness of the 2025 Shelf Registration Statement, we refreshed our at-the-market equity offering program under the ATM Sales Agreement. We may, from time to time, sell and issue shares of our common stock, through Jefferies as sales agent under the ATM Sales Agreement, having an aggregate offering price of up to $100.0 million in gross proceeds under the 2025 Shelf Registration Statement, by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”). Jefferies has agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal sales and trading practices to sell shares from time to time, based on our instructions (including any price or size limits or other customary parameters or conditions we may impose).

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During the year ended December 31, 2025, we sold 1,644,228 shares of our common stock, in a series of sales, at an average price of $2.60 per share, in accordance with the ATM Sales Agreement and the 2025 Shelf Registration Statement for aggregate gross proceeds of $4.3 million ($4.1 million net of offering expenses).

During the year ended December 31, 2024, we sold 3,420,061 shares of our common stock, in a series of sales, at an average price of $4.58 per share, in accordance with the ATM Sales Agreement and the 2022 Shelf Registration Statement for aggregate gross proceeds of $15.7 million ($15.2 million net of offering expenses).

As of December 31, 2025, $95.7 million of shares of our common stock remained available for sale under the 2025 Shelf Registration Statement pursuant to the ATM Sales Agreement.

Funding Requirements

We expect that our existing cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund our current operating plan for at least the next 12 months from the date this Annual Report on Form 10-K is filed. We have based these estimates on our current assumptions, which may require future adjustments based on our ongoing business decisions.

We will continue to be dependent on equity financing, debt financing, collaboration and licensing arrangements, and/or other forms of capital raises, including structured or other non-dilutive financings, to fund operating expenses, including to fully fund our planned pivotal trial for vispa-cel, at least until we are able to generate significant positive cash flows from our operations. We have no current ongoing material financing commitments, such as lines of credit or guarantees, that are expected to affect our liquidity over the next five years, except for our lease commitments and payments under certain of our license agreements as described in Notes 4 and Note 9, respectively, to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses and research and development expenses, which primarily consist of expenditures related to clinical trials. Cash used to fund operating expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable, accrued expenses, and prepaid expenses.

Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including the following:

•the initiation, progress, timing, costs, and results of clinical trials for our product candidates;

•the clinical development plans we establish for these product candidates;

•the outcome, timing, and cost of meeting regulatory requirements established by the FDA and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities;

•potential impact of reductions in government spending and personnel;

•whether we enter into any collaboration agreements and the terms of any such agreements;

•the cost of filing and prosecuting our patent applications, and maintaining and enforcing our patents and other intellectual property rights;

•the cost of defending intellectual property disputes, including patent infringement actions brought by third parties against our products after we receive regulatory approval;

•the effect of competing technological and market developments;

•the cost and timing of completion of commercial-scale outsourced manufacturing activities or the cost and timing of completion of clinical-scale and commercial-scale internal manufacturing activities;

•the cost of establishing sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities for any product candidates for which we may receive regulatory approval in regions where we choose to commercialize our products;

•the amount of revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our product candidates, should any of our product candidates receive marketing approval;

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•the achievement of milestones or occurrence of other developments that trigger payments by or to third parties;

•our implementation of various computerized informational systems and efforts to enhance operational systems;

•the impact of public health crises or geopolitical events on our clinical development or operations;

•the impact of inflationary pressures and tariffs on the cost of our operations; and

•the costs of operating as a public company, including defending against any future class action securities litigation and shareholder derivative lawsuits.

Furthermore, our operating plans may change, and we expect to need additional funds to meet operational needs and capital requirements for our clinical trials and development of our product candidates.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with therapeutic product development, we may never achieve profitability and, unless and until we are able to develop and commercialize our product candidates, we will need to continue to raise additional capital. Until we can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, we expect to finance our operations through equity offerings (including our at-the-market equity offering program), debt financings, new collaborations, structured or other non-dilutive financings, licensing arrangements, and/or other sources. We cannot provide any assurance that we will be successful in obtaining an adequate level of financing to support our business plans as needed on acceptable terms, or at all. If we raise additional funds through new strategic collaborations or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our intellectual property, future revenue streams, or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. Disruptions and volatility in the global and domestic capital markets resulting from heightened inflation, tariffs, capital market volatility, interest rate and currency rate fluctuations, artificial intelligence (“AI”), political and geopolitical tensions, government agency changes, any potential economic slowdown or recession, including trade wars or civil or political unrest (such as the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, conflicts in the Middle East, including the recent hostilities involving Iran, tension between China and Taiwan, geopolitical tensions in Europe, South America, and elsewhere) may increase the cost of capital and limit our ability to access capital. If we are unable to raise capital as and when needed or on attractive terms, we may have to significantly delay, reduce, or discontinue the development and commercialization of our product candidates or scale back or terminate our pursuit of new in-licenses and acquisitions.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

We enter into contracts in the normal course of business with suppliers, CMOs, CROs, clinical trial sites, licensors, assignors, and the like. These agreements provide for termination at the request of either party generally with less than one-year’s notice and, therefore, we believe that our non-cancelable obligations under these agreements are not material. Some of these agreements include contingent payments that will become payable if and when we achieve certain development, regulatory, clinical, and/or commercial milestones. As of December 31, 2025, the satisfaction and timing of such contingent payments is uncertain and is not reasonably estimable.

We have milestones, royalties, and/or other payments due to third parties under our existing license and assignment agreements. See Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We cannot estimate when such payments will be due and none of these events is probable as of December 31, 2025.

Leases

We have two operating lease agreements for our laboratory and office space. As of December 31, 2025, we had lease payment obligations totaling $43.8 million, of which $4.8 million is due within 12 months.

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Strategic Investment

On June 29, 2023, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (“Securities Purchase Agreement”) with Pfizer, Inc. (“Pfizer”) pursuant to which we, in a private placement transaction, agreed to issue and sell to Pfizer 4,690,431 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, at a purchase price of $5.33 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $25.0 million (“Pfizer Investment”). The issuance and sale of the shares to Pfizer closed on June 30, 2023. We granted certain registration rights to Pfizer under the Securities Purchase Agreement covering the resale of the shares. Unless otherwise agreed by Pfizer, we have agreed to use the proceeds from the Pfizer Investment solely in connection with (i) the development program for our allogeneic anti-BCMA CAR-T cell therapy product candidate (CB-011) that is being evaluated in our CaMMouflage phase 1 clinical trial and/or (ii) any other single-targeted anti-BCMA CAR-T cell therapy using an anti-BCMA single-chain variable fragment (“scFv”) owned or controlled by us (collectively, cell therapies described in clauses (i) and (ii) are referred to as a “BCMA Product Candidate”), for 36 months expiring on June 29, 2026.

On June 29, 2023, in connection with the Pfizer Investment, we and Pfizer also entered into an Information Rights Agreement, having a 36-month term and expiring on June 29, 2026. Under the Information Rights Agreement, we granted Pfizer a 30-calendar day right of first negotiation (“ROFN”) if we commence or engage with any third party with respect to a potential grant of rights to develop and/or commercialize a BCMA Product Candidate, including, without limitation, a license agreement, a co-promotion/co-commercialization agreement, a profit share agreement, a joint venture agreement, or an asset sale agreement (a “Grant of Program Rights”). If we and Pfizer do not reach an agreement with respect to a Grant of Program Rights within the 30-day period, then we may pursue negotiations and enter into an agreement with any third party. If we and such third party do not reach agreement on the Grant of Program Rights within a specified time period, Pfizer’s right of first negotiation will be reinstated. Under the Information Rights Agreement, we also granted Pfizer the right to designate one representative to serve on our scientific advisory board (“SAB”). Through an information sharing committee, we provide calendar quarter updates to Pfizer regarding the development program for a BCMA Product Candidate. Additionally, we agreed to provide Pfizer access to any preclinical or interim or final clinical data (including raw data) and results generated as part of the development program for a BCMA Product Candidate at the same time that we provide such data to a third party (other than to our service providers or the FDA or other regulatory authorities), subject to certain confidentiality exceptions.

Cash Flows

Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2025, and 2024

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated:

Years Ended December 31,

(in thousands)

Cash Used in Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was $111.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $138.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. This decrease was due to (i) changes in the components of net loss primarily related to (a) increase in non-cash charges primarily for impairment charges and impairment of equity investment incurred for the year ended December 31, 2025, and (b) decreases in research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses; and (ii) an increase in net changes in our operating assets and liabilities primarily related to increases in net changes in other assets, prepaid expenses and other current assets, and accounts payable partially offset by a decrease in net changes of accrued expenses and other current liabilities.

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Cash Provided by Investing Activities

Net cash provided by investing activities was$102.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $86.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase was primarily driven by lower cash utilized for purchases of marketable securities; partially offset by a decrease in proceeds from maturities of marketable securities.

Cash Provided by Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activitieswas$4.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $16.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease was primarily driven by lower proceeds from the issuance of common stock under the ATM Sales Agreement during the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to proceeds from the issuance of common stock under the ATM Sales Agreement during the year ended December 31, 2024.

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported expenses incurred during the reporting periods. These estimates and assumptions are monitored and analyzed by us for changes in facts and circumstances, and material changes in these estimates and assumptions could occur in the future. Our estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Changes in estimates are reflected in reported results for the period in which they become known. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Although our significant accounting policies are described in more details in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue when a licensee or assignee, or a customer, obtains control of the promised goods or services (e.g., an intellectual property license), in an amount that reflects the consideration that we have received or expect to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

We apply judgment to determine whether agreements are within the scope of revenue for customers or other accounting guidance at an agreement’s effective date. Our revenues are primarily derived through our license agreements and license and collaboration agreements. The terms of these types of agreements may include (i) licenses for our technology, (ii) research and development services, and (iii) services or obligations in connection with participation in research or governance committees. Payments to us under these arrangements typically include one or more of the following: nonrefundable upfront license or exclusivity fees; annual maintenance fees; regulatory and/or commercial milestone payments; research and development payments; and royalties on the net sales of licensed products and/or services.

We assess whether the promises in our arrangements with customers are considered as distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately. Judgment is required to determine whether the license to intellectual property is distinct from the research and development services or participation on steering committees.

If the license to intellectual property controlled by us is determined to be distinct from the other performance obligations identified in the arrangement, we recognize revenues allocated to the license at the point in time when the license is transferred to the licensee and the licensee is able to use and benefit from the license. For licenses that are combined with other promises, we utilize our judgment to assess the nature of the combined performance obligation to determine whether the combined performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a point in time and, if over time, the appropriate method of measuring progress for purposes of recognizing revenue. We evaluate the measure of progress each reporting period and, if necessary, adjust the measure of performance and related revenue recognition.

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Certain of our license agreements have two performance obligations: a license and a material right for annual license renewals. Such license agreements require payments of non-refundable annual license fees by the licensees (referred to as maintenance fees in the license agreements), which are accounted for as material rights for license renewals. We recognize revenue when the license is delivered and the term commences. Revenue for the material right for license renewals is recognized at the point in time the annual license fee is paid by the licensee and the renewal period begins.

Our collaboration and license agreements may include contingent milestone payments. Such milestone payments are typically payable when the collaboration partner or licensee achieves certain predetermined clinical, regulatory, and/or commercial milestones. Milestone payments that are not within our or the licensee’s control, such as regulatory approvals, are not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals are received. At each reporting date, we re-evaluate whether the milestones are considered probable of being achieved and estimate the amount to be included in the transaction price by using the most likely amount method. If it is probable that a significant revenue reversal would not occur, the associated milestone value is included in the transaction price in such period of determination.

Our collaboration and license agreements may also include contingent payments related to sales-based milestones. Sales-based milestones are typically payable when annual sales of a covered product reach specified levels. Sales-based milestones are recognized at the later of when the associated performance obligation has been satisfied or when the sales occur. Unlike other contingency payments, such as regulatory milestones, sales-based milestones are not included in the transaction price based on estimates at the inception of the contract, but rather, are included when the sales or usage occur.

Accrued Research and Development Expenses

As part of the process of preparing our financial statements, we are required to estimate and accrue expenses. Research and development expenses are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses include those for certain payroll and personnel; laboratory supplies; consulting; manufacturing; external clinical; and allocated overhead, including rent, equipment depreciation, and utilities.

We record accrued liabilities for estimated costs of research and development activities conducted by third-party CMOs, CROs, and other third-party service providers. We accrue for these costs based on factors such as estimates of the work completed and in accordance with service agreements established with these third-party service providers.

We make significant judgments and estimates in determining the accrual balance in each reporting period. As actual costs become known, we adjust our accruals. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different than the actual amounts incurred, the estimates for the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and could result in us reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any one period. Our accrual is dependent, in part, upon the receipt of timely and accurate reporting from CROs, CMOs, and other third-party service providers. Variations in the assumptions used to estimate accruals including, but not limited to, the number of patients enrolled, the rate of patient enrollment and the actual services performed, may vary from our estimates, resulting in adjustments to clinical trial and manufacturing expenses in future periods. Changes in these estimates that result in material changes to our accruals could materially affect our financial condition and results of operations. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from our estimate, we adjust the accrual or prepaid expense accordingly.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

We review long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. In order to determine if assets have been impaired, assets are grouped and tested at the lowest level for which identifiable independent cash flows are available. An impairment loss is recognized when the sum of projected undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value of the asset group. The measurement of the impairment loss to be recognized is based on the difference between the fair value and the carrying value of the asset group. Fair value may be determined using a market approach or income approach.

For asset groups where impairment is triggered, we use discounted cash flow models (an income approach) to estimate the fair values of the asset groups. The significant assumptions used in the discounted cash flow models include projected sublease income over the remaining lease terms, expected downtime prior to the commencement of executed or future subleases, and discount rates that reflect a market participant's assumptions in valuing the asset groups. Changes in these assumptions used could materially affect our financial condition and results of operations.

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Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements.

Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 Act (“JOBS Act”) and may remain an emerging growth company until the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the closing of our IPO (i.e., December 31, 2026). Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to use this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with the new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

We expect to use the extended transition period for any other new or revised accounting standards during the period in which we remain an emerging growth company.

We are also a “smaller reporting company.” If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be an emerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies. Specifically, as a smaller reporting company, we may choose to present only the two most recent fiscal years of audited consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and, similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting companies have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

We had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $142.8 million and $249.4 million as of December 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, respectively, consisting of cash, money market funds, government securities, commercial paper, and U.S. Treasury bills.

We do not enter into investments for trading or speculative purposes and have not used any derivative financial instruments to manage our interest rate risk exposure. A hypothetical 10% change in interest rates during any of the periods presented would not have had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. We have not been exposed to, nor do we anticipate being exposed to, material risks due to changes in interest rates.

We do not have any foreign currency. Inflation generally affects us by increasing our cost of labor, manufacturing, and clinical trial costs. We do not believe that inflation had a material effect on our results of operations during the year ended December 31, 2025.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The financial statements required to be filed by this item are appended at the end of this Annual Report on Form 10-K beginning on page F-1 and is incorporated herein by reference. An index of those financial statements is found in Part IV, Item 15, Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We have established disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and is accumulated and communicated to management, including the principal executive officer (our president and chief executive officer) and principal financial officer (our chief financial officer), to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

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Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of our president and chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Management recognizes that any disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives. Our disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs. Based on such evaluation, our president and chief executive officer (principal executive officer) and our chief financial officer (principal financial officer) have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level as of December 31, 2025.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025, based on the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in its 2013 Internal Control - Integrated Framework. Based on this assessment, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2025.

Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm

Our independent registered accounting firm is not required to opine on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 until we are no longer either an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act or a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act that does not otherwise also qualify as an “accelerated filer” or “large accelerated filer” for SEC reporting purposes.

Changes in Internal Control

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in management’s evaluation pursuant to Rules 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act during our fourth fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2025, that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B. Other Information.

(b) Rule 10b5-1 Trading Arrangements

During the quarter ended December 31, 2025, no director or Section 16 officer adopted or terminated any “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” (in each case, as defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K).

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.

Not applicable.

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PART III

Certain information required by Part III is incorporated by reference herein to our definitive proxy statement for our 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“2026 Proxy Statement”) pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), which we intend to file not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance.

The information required by this item of Form 10-K will be included under the caption “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance” and subsections thereof, including “—Nominees for Election as Class II Directors,” “—Directors Continuing in Office,” “—Family Relationships,” “—Classified Board of Directors,” and “—Board Committees—Audit Committee” and under the caption “Executive Officers” in our 2026 Proxy Statement and is incorporated by reference herein.

We have adopted a written Code of Business Conduct, Scientific and Data Integrity, and Ethics (“Code of Conduct”) that applies to all of our employees, consultants, and directors. A current copy of the Code of Conduct is available on the Corporate Governance section of our website, cariboubio.com. The audit committee of our board of directors is responsible for overseeing the Code of Conduct and must approve any waivers of the Code of Conduct for our executive officers and directors. We expect that any amendments to the Code of Conduct, or any waivers of its requirements with respect to our executive officers and directors, will be disclosed on our website at the address indicated above. Our website and the information contained therein or connected thereto shall not be deemed to be incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We have included our website address as an inactive textual reference only. We will provide to any person, without charge, a copy of the Code of Conduct. Any such request should be directed to Caribou Biosciences, Inc., 2929 7th Street, Suite 105, Berkeley, CA 94710, Attn: Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, telephone: 510-982-6030.

We have adopted an insider trading policy that governs the purchase, sale, and/or other dispositions of our securities by all of our employees, consultants, contractors, officers, and directors, as well as by our company. The insider trading policy is designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws. A copy of our insider trading policy is filed as Exhibit 19.1 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 11. Executive Compensation.

The information required by this item of Form 10-K will be included under the caption “Executive and Director Compensation” in our 2026 Proxy Statement and is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

The information required by this item of Form 10-K will be included under the captions “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and “Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans” in our 2026 Proxy Statement and is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.

The information required by this item of Form 10-K will be included under the captions “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” and “Board of Directors and Corporate Governance—Director Independence” in our 2026 Proxy Statement and is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.

The information required by this item of Form 10-K will be included under the caption “Ratification of Selection of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in our 2026 Proxy Statement and is incorporated by reference herein.

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PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.

(a)The following documents are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

1.The following Report and Consolidated Financial Statements of our company are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID No. 34)

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, incorporated into this item by reference.

2.All financial schedules have been omitted because the required information is either presented in our consolidated financial statements or the notes thereto or is not applicable or required.

3.The exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K and Item 15(b) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are listed in the Exhibit Index immediately preceding the signature page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The exhibits listed in the Exhibit Index are incorporated by reference herein.

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.

Not applicable.

EXHIBIT INDEX

ExhibitNumber Exhibit Description

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120

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21.1* List of Subsidiaries of the Registrant

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23.1* Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP

101.SCH* Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL* Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.DEF* Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

101.LAB* Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

101.PRE* Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

__________________________________

* Indicates filed herewith

+ Indicates management contract or compensatory plan

† Indicates certain portions of this document that constitute confidential information have been redacted in accordance with Regulation S-K, Item 601(b)(10)

# This certification is being furnished solely to accompany this Annual Report on Form 10-K pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, and is not being filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing of the Registrant under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Report”) to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

CARIBOU BIOSCIENCES, INC.

Date: March 5, 2026 By: /s/ Rachel E. Haurwitz

Rachel E. Haurwitz

President and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Name Title Date

Rachel E. Haurwitz

Sriram Ryali

/s/ Scott Braunstein Director March 5, 2026

Scott Braunstein

/s/ Andrew Guggenhime Director March 5, 2026

Andrew Guggenhime

/s/ Dara Richardson-Heron Director March 5, 2026

Dara Richardson-Heron

/s/ David Johnson Director March 5, 2026

David Johnson

/s/ Natalie R. Sacks Director March 5, 2026

Natalie R. Sacks

/s/ Nancy Whiting Director March 5, 2026

Nancy Whiting

/s/ Ran Zheng Director March 5, 2026

Ran Zheng

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INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID No. 34) F-2

Consolidated Balance Sheets F-3

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss F-4

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity F-5

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows F-6

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-7

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the stockholders and the Board of Directors of Caribou Biosciences, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Caribou Biosciences, Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, stockholders' equity, and cash flows, for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2025, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2025, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

San Francisco, California

March 5, 2026

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2016.

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CARIBOU BIOSCIENCES, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

ASSETS

CURRENT ASSETS:

Accounts receivable 69 265

Prepaid expenses and other current assets 2,913 6,589

NON-CURRENT ASSETS

Investments in equity securities — 9,276

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 16,535 23,620

Operating lease liabilities, current 1,201 1,426

LONG-TERM LIABILITIES

MSKCC success payments liability — 785

Operating lease liabilities, non-current 26,026 25,061

Deferred tax liabilities — 548

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 9)

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Accumulated other comprehensive income 103 255

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY $ 175,367 $ 313,313

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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CARIBOU BIOSCIENCES, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

Years Ended December 31,

Operating expenses:

Impairment charges 12,150 —

Other (expense) income

Impairment of equity investment (9,158) —

Total other (expense) income (331) 17,502

Net loss before benefit from income taxes (148,675) (149,114)

Benefit from income taxes (550) (9)

Other comprehensive (loss) income

Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (1.59) $ (1.65)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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CARIBOU BIOSCIENCES, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity

(in thousands, except share amounts)

Shares Amount

Issuances of common stock on exercises of options 182,217 — 618 — — 618

Issuances of common stock upon vesting of RSUs 66,173 — — — — —

Stock-based compensation expense — — 16,706 — — 16,706

Other comprehensive income — — — 225 — 225

Issuances of common stock on exercises of options 15,000 — 6 — — 6

Issuances of common stock upon vesting of RSUs 468,489 — — — — —

Stock-based compensation expense — — 12,680 — — 12,680

Other comprehensive loss — — — (152) — (152)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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CARIBOU BIOSCIENCES, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

Years Ended December 31,

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization 3,645 3,927

Gain on disposal of fixed assets (25) (9)

Non-cash consideration for licensing and collaboration revenue (9) (1,634)

Change in fair value of equity securities 99 111

Change in fair value of MSKCC success payments liability (785) (2,154)

Acquired in-process research and development — 1,625

Impairment charges 12,150 —

Impairment of equity investment 9,158 —

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Other receivables (76) 458

Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,675 (433)

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (6,340) 2,134

Deferred revenue, current and long-term (2,798) (2,503)

Operating lease liabilities (1,349) (621)

Deferred tax liabilities (548) (10)

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities 252,830 397,492

Purchases of property and equipment (1,359) (4,880)

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment — 13

Payments to acquire in-process research and development — (1,625)

Net cash provided by investing activities 102,238 86,607

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

Proceeds from exercise of stock options 6 618

Proceeds from issuances of common stock under ESPP 745 914

Net cash provided by financing activities 4,821 16,724

NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH (3,933) (34,869)

CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH — BEGINNING OF PERIOD 16,339 51,208

CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH — END OF PERIOD $ 12,406 $ 16,339

RECONCILIATION OF CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH

Restricted cash 46 46

SUPPLEMENTAL SCHEDULE OF NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

Right-of-use-assets recognized due to lease remeasurement $ 2,089 $ —

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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CARIBOU BIOSCIENCES, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

1. Description of the Business, Organization, and Liquidity

Business and Organization

Caribou Biosciences, Inc. (“Company” or “we”) is a clinical-stage Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (“CRISPR”) genome-editing biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing transformative therapies for patients with devastating diseases. Our genome-editing platform is based on our novel chRDNA (CRISPR hybrid RNA-DNA, or “chRDNA,” pronounced “chardonnay”) genome-editing technology, which enables more precise genome editing of allogeneic cell therapies. Our allogeneic, or off-the-shelf, chimeric antigen receptor (“CAR”)-T (“CAR-T”) cell therapy candidates are manufactured in advance with cells from healthy donors, with the goal of enabling broad patient access, rapid patient treatment, and increased manufacturing scale. We use our chRDNA technology to armor our allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy product candidates through genome-editing strategies, such as checkpoint disruption and immune cloaking, to enhance activity against hematologic malignancies.

We incorporated in October 2011 as a Delaware corporation and are headquartered in Berkeley, California. We have four wholly owned subsidiaries: Antler Holdco, LLC, incorporated in Delaware in April 2019; Microbe Holdco, LLC, incorporated in Delaware in June 2020; Arboreal Holdco, LLC, incorporated in Delaware in November 2020; and Biloba Holdco, LLC, incorporated in Delaware in April 2021. Our wholly owned subsidiaries hold interests in our equity investments and do not have operating activities.

Liquidity

We have incurred operating losses and negative cash flows from operations since our inception and we had an accumulated deficit of $596.5 million as of December 31, 2025. During the year ended December 31, 2025, we incurred a net loss of $148.1 million and used $111.0 million of cash in operating activities. We expect to continue to incur substantial losses, and our ability to achieve and sustain profitability will depend on the successful development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of our product candidates and on our ability to generate sufficient revenue to support our cost structure. We may never achieve profitability and, unless and until we do, we will need to continue to raise additional capital. Our management expects that existing cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $142.8 million as of December 31, 2025, will be sufficient to fund our current operating plan for at least the next 12 months from the date our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are filed.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) and include our accounts and the accounts of our wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Certain prior period amounts in our consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities; the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our consolidated financial statements; and the reported amounts of revenue, income, and expenses for the applicable reporting period. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions, including those related to revenue recognition, impairment of long-lived assets, stock-based compensation expense, accrued research and development expenses, and income taxes. Our management evaluates its estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and various other assumptions that they believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ materially from those estimates.

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Segments

Operating segments are defined as components of an entity about which separate discrete information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The CODM is our president and chief executive officer. We view our operations as, and manage our business in, one operating segment, which is the business of developing allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies (see Note 14, “Segment Information”).

Concentrations of Credit Risk and Other Uncertainties

Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentration of credit risk consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, contract assets, other receivables, and investments in marketable securities and equity securities. Substantially all our cash and cash equivalents are deposited in accounts at four financial institutions, and our account balances exceed federally insured limits. We mitigate the risks by investing only in high-grade instruments, limiting our exposure to any single issuer, and we monitor the ongoing creditworthiness of these financial institutions and issuers.

Licensees that represent 10% or more of our revenue and accounts receivable and contract assets were as follows:

Revenue Accounts Receivable andContract Assets

Years Ended December 31, As of December 31,

Licensee C * 16.2 % * *

Licensee D 21.5 % * * *

Licensee E * * 11.8 % *

*Less than 10%

We monitor economic conditions to identify facts or circumstances that may indicate if any of our accounts receivable are not collectible or if contract assets should be impaired.No allowance for credit losses or contract asset impairment was recorded as of December 31, 2025, or 2024.

Revenue Recognition

We determine whether agreements are within the scope of Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”) or other topics at the effective date of an agreement. For agreements that are determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, revenue is recognized when a licensee, or customer, obtains control of promised goods or services (e.g., an intellectual property license). The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration that we expect to be entitled to receive in exchange for these goods and services. To achieve this core principle, we apply the following five steps (i) identify the contract with the customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when or as we satisfy a performance obligation.

Our revenues are primarily derived through license and/or license and collaboration agreements. The terms of these types of agreements may include (i) licenses for our technology, (ii) research and development services, and (iii) services or obligations in connection with our participation in research or governance committees. Payments to us under these arrangements typically include one or more of the following: nonrefundable upfront license fees, maintenance fees, milestones, and other contingent payments to us for the achievement of defined collaboration objectives and certain nonclinical, clinical, regulatory, and sales-based events, as well as royalties on sales of any commercialized products.

We assess whether the promises in our contracts with third parties are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately. Judgment is required to determine whether a license to our intellectual property is distinct from research and development services or participation on research or governance committees.

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If a license to intellectual property controlled by us is determined to be distinct from the other performance obligations identified in the agreement, we recognize revenues allocated to the license at the point in time when the license is transferred to the licensee and the licensee is able to use and benefit from the license. For licenses that are combined with other promises, we utilize our judgment to assess the nature of the combined performance obligation to determine whether the combined performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a point in time and, if over time, the appropriate method of measuring progress for purposes of recognizing revenue. We evaluate the measure of progress using the input method for each reporting period and, if necessary, adjust the measure of performance and related revenue recognition.

Certain of our license agreements include contingent milestone payments. Such milestone payments are typically payable when the collaborator or licensee achieves certain predetermined clinical, regulatory, and/or commercial milestones. Milestone payments that are not within our control or the control of the licensee, such as regulatory approvals, are not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals are received. At each reporting date, we reevaluate whether the milestones are considered probable of being reached, and we estimate the amount to be included in the transaction price by using the most likely amount method. If it is probable that a significant revenue reversal would not occur, the associated milestone value is included in the transaction price in such period of determination.

Our license and/or collaboration and license agreements may also include contingent payments related to sales-based milestones. Sales-based milestones are typically payable when annual sales of a covered product reach specified levels. Sales-based milestones are recognized at the later of when the associated performance obligation has been satisfied or when the sales occur. Unlike other contingency payments, such as regulatory milestones, sales-based milestones are not included in the transaction price based on estimates at the inception of the contract, but rather, are included when the sales or usage occur. We use the sales-based royalty exception because the license is a predominant item to which sales-based royalties relate.

Certain of our license agreements have two performance obligations: a license and a material right for annual license renewals. Such license agreements require payments of non-refundable annual license fees by the licensee (referred to as maintenance fees in the license agreements), which are accounted for as material rights for license renewals. We recognize revenue when the license is delivered and the term commences. Revenue for the material right for license renewals is recognized at the point in time that the annual license fee is paid by the licensee and the renewal period begins.

Payments received under third-party contracts are recorded as deferred revenue upon receipt or when due and may require deferral of revenue recognition to a future period until we satisfy our performance obligations under these contracts. We record contract assets when payment is due under third-party contracts conditioned on future performance or the occurrence of other events. Amounts payable to us are recorded as accounts receivable if invoiced and if our right to consideration is unconditional.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability (see Note 3, “Fair Value Measurements and Fair Value of Financial Instruments”).

Cash and Cash Equivalents

We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2025, cash and cash equivalents consisted of cash, money market funds, and commercial paper. As of December 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents consisted of cash, money market funds, government securities, commercial paper, and U.S. Treasury bills.

Restricted Cash

We define restricted cash as cash and cash equivalents that cannot be withdrawn or used for general operating activities. Our restricted cash consists of a letter of credit with a financial institution related to one of our workers’ compensation insurance policies. As of December 31, 2025, and 2024, we had less than $0.1 million of restricted cash, which was recorded in other assets in our consolidated balance sheets.

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Marketable Securities

Our short-term and long-term marketable securities are available for sale securities and consist of U.S. Treasury bills, commercial paper, U.S. government agency bonds, and corporate debt securities. We classify those securities that mature in more than 12 months as long-term investments in our consolidated balance sheets. We record at estimated fair value based on quoted market prices or observable market inputs of almost identical assets, with the unrealized holding gains or losses recorded in other comprehensive (loss) income in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The amortized cost of securities is adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity, which are both recorded to interest income in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. When the fair value of a debt security declines below its amortized cost basis, any portion of that decline attributable to credit losses, to the extent expected to be nonrecoverable before the sale of the security, is recognized in our statement of operations. When the fair value of a debt security declines below its amortized cost basis due to changes in interest rates, such amounts are recorded in other comprehensive (loss) income, and are recognized in our statements of operations only if we sell or intend to sell the security before recovery of its cost basis.

Investments in Equity Securities

We may receive as consideration under our license agreements equity securities of private or public companies (an “investee”). If we determine that we do not have control over these investees under either the Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) or voting models, we then determine if we have an ability to exercise significant influence via voting interests, board of director representation, or other business relationships. If we conclude that we do not have an ability to exercise significant influence over an investee, we account for our investment at fair value and may elect to account for an equity security without a readily determinable fair value using a measurement alternative. This measurement alternative allows us to measure the equity investment at its cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or a similar investment of the same issuer. If we determine that we do have control over these companies under either voting or VIE models, we consolidate them in our consolidated financial statements.

As of December 31, 2024, investments in equity securities, long-term, consisted primarily of our investment in the preferred stock of a private company, related party (see Note 7, “Related Party Transactions”). We concluded that our shares of the private company’s preferred stock are not in substance common stock and, since these securities do not have readily determinable fair value, we account for our investment in the private company’s preferred stock using the measurement alternative method. During the second quarter of 2025, we determined that impairment indicators existed, and the fair value of our shares of the private company’s preferred stock was zero, as a result, as of June 30, 2025, the preferred stock was fully impaired and no balance remained. We recorded an impairment expense of $9.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization. Property and equipment are depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets.

Computer equipment 3 years

Furniture and office equipment 5 years

Lab equipment 5 years

Leasehold improvements Shorter of remaining lease term or estimated useful life

Upon retirement or sale of the assets, the cost and related accumulated depreciation and amortization are removed from the balance sheet and the resulting gain or loss is recorded in the statements of operations. Repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.

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Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

We evaluate the carrying amount of our long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the assets may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized when estimated future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition is less than the carrying amount of the asset. During the second quarter of 2025, we identified certain triggering events, such as significant changes in our current and expected use of leased office and lab space and lab equipment. We determined that these asset groups were impaired and recorded an impairment expense of $12.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 (see Note 15, “Restructuring Charge”).

Leases

Under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) and its associated amendments, we determine if an arrangement is a lease at inception. In addition, we determine whether a lease meets the classification criteria of a finance or operating lease at the lease commencement date considering whether: (i) the lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset to the lessee at the end of the lease term; (ii) the lease grants the lessee an option to purchase the underlying asset that the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise; (iii) the lease term is for a major part of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset; (iv) the present value of the sum of the lease payments and residual value guaranteed by the lessee equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the underlying asset; and (v) the underlying asset is such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of the lease term. As of December 31, 2025, our leases consisted of real estate operating leases and we did not have any finance leases.

Operating leases are included in Operating lease right-of-use assets; Operating lease liabilities, current; and Operating lease liabilities, non-current in our consolidated balance sheets. Right-of-use assets represent our right to use the underlying assets for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the leases. Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. In determining the present value of lease payments, if the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date. We determine the incremental borrowing rate based on an analysis of corporate bond yields with a credit rating similar to ours. The determination of our incremental borrowing rate requires management judgment, including development of a synthetic credit rating and cost of debt, as we currently do not carry any debt. We believe that the estimates used in determining the incremental borrowing rate are reasonable based upon facts and circumstances. Applying different judgments to the same facts and circumstances could yield a different incremental borrowing rate. The operating lease right-of-use assets also include adjustments for prepayments, accrued lease payments, and lease incentives. Right-of-use assets and lease liabilities may include options to extend or terminate leases if it is reasonably certain that we will exercise such options. If significant events, changes in circumstances, or other events indicate that the lease term or other inputs have changes, we would reassess lease classification, remeasure the lease liabilities using revised inputs as of the reassessment date, and adjust the operating lease right-of-use assets. Lease payments which are fixed and determinable are amortized as rent and lease expense on a straight-line basis over the expected lease term. Variable lease costs, such as common area maintenance charges and other operating costs, are expensed as incurred. Lease agreements that include lease and non-lease components are accounted for as a single lease component. Lease agreements with non-cancelable terms of less than 12 months are not recorded on our balance sheets.

Accrued Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses include those for certain payroll and personnel; laboratory supplies; consulting; manufacturing; external clinical; and allocated overhead, including rent, equipment depreciation, and utilities.

We record accrued liabilities for estimated costs of our research and development activities conducted by third-party service providers. We record the estimated costs of research and development activities based upon the estimated amount of services provided but not yet invoiced and include these costs in accrued liabilities in our consolidated balance sheets and within research and development expenses in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. We accrue for these costs based on factors such as estimates of the work completed and in accordance with the third-party service agreements. If we do not identify costs that have begun to be incurred or if we underestimate or overestimate the level of services performed or the costs of these services, actual expenses could differ from our estimates. To date, we have not experienced any material differences between accrued costs and actual costs incurred.

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We make payments in connection with clinical trials to contract manufacturing organizations (“CMOs”) that manufacture the material for our product candidates and to contract research organizations (“CROs”) and clinical trial sites that conduct and manage our clinical trials. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiation, which vary by contract and may result in payments that do not match the periods over which materials or services are provided. Generally, these agreements set forth the scope of work to be performed at a fixed fee, unit price or on a time and materials basis. In the event we make advance payments for goods or services that will be used or rendered for future research and development activities, the payments are deferred and capitalized as a prepaid expense and recognized as expense as the goods are received or the related services are rendered. These payments are evaluated for current or long-term classification based on when they are expected to be realized.

Acquisition of In-Process Research and Development Assets

We measure and recognize acquired in-process research and development assets, which include licenses, know-how, patents, and transaction fees, based on the cost to acquire the assets and the consideration that is allocated to the items based on a relative fair value methodology. Goodwill is not recognized in asset acquisitions. If acquired in-process technology is determined to not have an alternative future use, the cost is charged to research and development expenses at the acquisition date.

Patent Costs

We expense patent costs as incurred for filing, prosecuting, and maintaining patents and patent applications, including certain of the patents and patent applications that we license from third parties. We classify these costs as general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. In addition, we are entitled to receive reimbursement from third parties for a portion of the filing, prosecution, and maintenance costs for certain patents and patent applications. We accrue for these reimbursements as the respective expenses are incurred, and we classify such reimbursements as a reduction of general and administrative expenses. During the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, we incurred gross patent costs of $3.6 million and $3.8 million, respectively. During each of the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, we recorded $1.2 million of patent cost reimbursements as a credit to general and administrative expenses.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

Stock-based compensation expense related to awards to employees is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award. We determine the grant-date fair value of the options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of restricted stock units (“RSUs”), performance-based RSUs (“PSUs”), and performance-based stock options (“PBSOs”) awards is determined based on the number of units granted and the closing price of our common stock as of the grant-date. For options and RSUs, the fair value of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards, which is generally the vesting period. For performance-based awards, expense is recognized over the related vesting period once the conditions for achievement of the milestones are probable. All awards are adjusted for pre-vesting forfeitures in the period in which the forfeitures occur.

We use the Black-Scholes valuation model as the method for determining the estimated fair value of stock options and stock purchases under our 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) with the following assumptions:

Fair Market Value of Common Stock — The fair market value of our common stock is based on its closing price on Nasdaq as reported on the date of the stock option grant.

Expected Term — Expected term represents the period that our stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding and is determined using the simplified method, which represents the average of the contractual term of the stock option and its weighted-average vesting period. The expected term forour stock purchases under our ESPP is the offering period.

Expected Volatility— Expected volatility is estimated based on the average historical volatilities of common stock of comparable publicly traded entities within the life sciences industry over a period equal to the expected term of the stock option grants, as we do not have sufficient trading history for our common stock. Comparable companies are chosen based on their size, stage in the life cycle, or area of specialty. We will continue to apply this process for stock options and ESPP stock purchases until enough historical information regarding the volatility of our stock price becomes available.

Expected Dividends— Expected dividends are zero as we have never paid dividends on our common stock and have no plans to do so for the foreseeable future.

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Risk-Free Interest Rate— Risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issued in effect at the time of grant for periods corresponding with the expected term of the award.

Income Taxes

We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in our consolidated financial statements or tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between our consolidated financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are provided if, based upon the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions are recognized when it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained during an audit. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are included within the provision for income tax.

Other Income, net

We recognize fees earned from sources not considered to be within the normal course of business in other income within the statements of operations and comprehensive loss. During the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, we recognized $8.0 million and $15.3 million, respectively, of interest income from our short-term and long-term marketable securities.

Comprehensive Loss

Comprehensive loss is composed of net loss and other comprehensive (loss) income. Other comprehensive (loss) income consists of unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale marketable securities.

Net Loss Per Share

Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, without consideration of potential dilutive securities. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the sum of the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period plus the dilutive effects of potentially dilutive securities outstanding during the period. Potentially dilutive securities include common stock options, shares committed under ESPP and RSUs issued and outstanding. For all periods presented, diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share since the effect of including potential common shares is anti-dilutive.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by FASB or other standard-setting bodies and adopted are by us as of the specified effective date.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09 - Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. This ASU requires public entities, on an annual basis, to provide disclosure of specific categories in the tax rate reconciliation, as well as disclosure of income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. We have adopted ASU 2023-09 on a prospective basis for the fiscal year 2025. The impact of ASU 2023-09 resulted in additional disclosures in the notes to our consolidated financial statements (see Note 12, “Income Taxes”).

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU No. 2024-03 - Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income - Expense Disaggregation (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses. The amendments in ASU 2024-03 require a public business entity to disclose specific information about certain costs and expenses in the notes to its financial statements for interim and annual reporting periods. The objective of the disclosure requirements is to provide disaggregated information about a public business entity's expenses to help investors (i) better understand the entity's performance, (ii) better assess the entity's prospects for future cash flows, and (iii) compare an entity's performance over time and with that of other entities. ASU 2024-03 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026, and for interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2024-03.

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In September 2025, the FASB issued ASU No. 2025-06 - Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Internal-Use Software. The amendments in ASU 2025-06 remove all references to prescriptive and sequential software development stages. This ASU requires entities to begin capitalizing software costs when management authorizes and commits to funding the software project, and it is probable that the project will be completed and the software will be used for its intended purpose. ASU 2025-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2025-06.

In December 2025, the FASB issued ASU 2025-11 - Interim Reporting (Topic 270): Narrow-Scope Improvements. The amendments in ASU 2025-11 provide clarifications intended to improve the consistency and usability of interim disclosure requirements, including a comprehensive listing of required interim disclosures and a new disclosure principle for reporting material events occurring after the most recent annual financial reporting period. ASU 2025-11 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027, and interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2025-11.

Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 Act (“JOBS” Act”), and may remain an emerging growth company until the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering (“IPO”) (i.e., December 31, 2026). Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to use this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with the new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

We expect to use the extended transition period for any other new or revised accounting standards during the period in which we remain an emerging growth company. We have early adopted certain accounting standards because the JOBS Act does not preclude an emerging growth company from adopting a new or revised accounting standard earlier than the time that such standard applies to private companies to the extent early adoption is allowed by the accounting standard.

We are also a “smaller reporting company.” If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be an emerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies. Specifically, as a smaller reporting company, we may choose to present only the two most recent fiscal years of audited consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and, similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting companies have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation.

3. Fair Value Measurements and Fair Value of Financial Instruments

We classify fair value-based measurements using a three-level hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows: Level 1, quoted market prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2, observable inputs other than quoted market prices included in Level 1, such as quoted market prices for markets that are not active or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data; and Level 3, unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities, including certain pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques that use significant unobservable inputs. Changes in the ability to observe valuation inputs may result in a reclassification of levels of certain securities within the fair value hierarchy. We recognize transfers into and out of levels within the fair value hierarchy in the period in which the actual event or change in circumstances that caused the transfer occurs. No such transfers occurred during the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024.

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Recurring Measurements

The following table sets forth our financial instruments that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis by level within the fair value hierarchy (in thousands):

Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2025

Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Assets:

Corporate debt securities 8,663 — 8,663 —

Commercial paper ($999 included in cash and cash equivalents) 7,140 — 7,140 —

Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2024

Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Assets:

Corporate debt securities 8,498 — 8,498 —

Liabilities:

MSKCC success payments liability $ 785 $ — $ — $ 785

Total fair value of liabilities $ 785 $ — $ — $ 785

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The fair value and amortized cost of cash equivalents and available-for-sale marketable securities by major security type as of December 31, 2025, and 2024 are presented in the following tables (in thousands):

Amortized Cost Basis UnrealizedGains Unrealized Losses Estimated Fair Value

Money market fund investments (included in cash equivalents) 11,361 — — 11,361

Commercial paper ($999 included in cash and cash equivalents) 7,139 1 — 7,140

Classified as:

Cash and cash equivalents $ 12,360

Marketable securities, short-term 126,980

Marketable securities, long-term 3,505

Total cash equivalents and marketable securities $ 142,845

Amortized Cost Basis UnrealizedGains Unrealized Losses Estimated Fair Value

Money market fund investments (included in cash equivalents) 11,508 — — 11,508

Classified as:

Cash and cash equivalents $ 16,293

Marketable securities, short-term 193,244

Marketable securities, long-term 39,849

Total cash equivalents and marketable securities $ 249,386

We reviewed each of our marketable securities as of December 31, 2025, and 2024, and concluded that any decline in fair value was not related to credit losses and is recoverable. Accordingly, no allowance for credit losses was recorded and the unrealized losses are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income.

The following table presents the fair value of available-for-sale marketable securities by contractual maturities (in thousands):

Due in less than one year 126,980

Due in one to five years 3,505

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On May 13, 2025, we provided notice of termination to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (“MSKCC”) of the Exclusive License Agreement, dated November 13, 2020, (as amended, “MSKCC Agreement”) with MSKCC Agreement, which termination was effective on August 11, 2025, due to the prior discontinuation of the AMpLify phase 1 clinical trial for our CB-012 product candidate, an allogeneic anti-C-type lectin-like molecule-1 (“CLL-1”) CAR-T cell therapy for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (“r/r AML”). Under the now-terminated MSKCC Agreement, MSKCC was entitled to certain success payments if our common stock fair value would have increased by certain multiples of increasing value based on a comparison of the fair value of our common stock to $5.1914 per share, adjusted for any future stock splits (the “Initial Share Price”), during a specified time period. The relevant time period commenced on February 13, 2024, when the first patient was dosed with CB-012 in our AMpLify phase 1 clinical trial, and would have ended upon the earlier of the third anniversary from the approval of our biologics license application (“BLA”) by the FDA or 10 years from February 13, 2024.

The following table summarizes the amounts of the MSKCC success payments that would have been due:

Multiple of Initial Share Price giving rise to a success payment 5 x 10 x 15 x

MSKCC success payments (in millions) $ 10.0 $ 10.0 $ 15.0

The MSKCC success payments liability under the now-terminated MSKCC Agreement had been carried at fair value and changes were recognized as expense or income as part of other income. During the second quarter of 2025, we re-measured the fair value of the MSKCC success payments liability, updating inputs, such as the probability of achieving a multiple of a defined initial share price and the expected term, to reflect the pending termination of the MSKCC Agreement, and we estimated the fair value to be zero.

The following table sets forth a summary of the changes in the fair value of our Level 3 financial liability (in thousands):

MSKCC Success PaymentsLiability

Change in fair value (2,154)

Change in fair value (785)

Balance at December 31, 2025 $ —

Nonrecurring Measurements

On May 15, 2020, we entered into an Exclusive License Agreement for Veterinary Therapeutics (as amended, “Edge chRDNA License Agreement”) with Edge Animal Health (“Edge”), a related party private company, under which we granted Edge an exclusive worldwide license to our Cas9 and Cas12a chRDNA intellectual property and know-how in a defined field of veterinary therapeutics. As consideration for this license agreement, we received 7,500,000 shares of convertible preferred stock (“Edge Stock”) with an estimated fair value of $7.5 million, which was based on the price per share paid for similar shares by another investor, and which was an arm’s length transaction. In June 2024, we received 1,623,275 additional shares of convertible preferred stock pursuant to anti-dilution rights of the Edge chRDNA License Agreement with an estimated fair value of $1.6 million, based on management’s best estimate and judgment. We elected to apply the measurement alternative under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 321, Investments - Equity Securities (“ASC 321”) for an equity security without a readily determinable fair value. Accordingly, this investment is carried at its cost minus impairment, if any, and is classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. If we identify observable price changes in orderly transactions for this investment or a similar investment, we will measure the investment at fair value as of the date that the observable transactions or events occurred.

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As part of the preparation of our prior quarter financial statements, we assessed potential indicators of impairment of our Edge Stock. As part of our assessment, we considered Edge’s planned operating cash flow requirements, available capital to fund those requirements, and ability to secure additional capital if needed as indicators of impairment. During the second quarter of 2025, we determined that impairment indicators existed, and the fair value of our Edge Stock was zero; as a result, as of June 30, 2025, our Edge Stock was fully impaired and no balance remained. We recorded an impairment expense of $9.2 million as “impairment of equity investment” in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2025. This impairment expense was recorded as a reduction to the investment balance within investments in equity securities in our consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2025.

4. Significant Agreements

The Regents of the University of California and the University of Vienna

We entered into an Exclusive License Agreement, dated April 16, 2013 (as amended, “UC/Vienna Agreement”) with The Regents of the University of California (“UC”) and the University of Vienna (“Vienna”) (together, “UC/Vienna”) wherein UC/Vienna granted us an exclusive worldwide license, with the right to sublicense, in all fields to the foundational CRISPR-Cas9 patent family co-owned by UC, Vienna, and Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier (“CVC IP”). Dr. Charpentier has not granted us any rights, either directly or indirectly. The UC/Vienna Agreement continues until the last-to-expire patent or last-to-be-abandoned patent application within the CVC IP; provided, however, that UC/Vienna may terminate the UC/Vienna Agreement upon the occurrence of certain events and we may terminate the UC/Vienna Agreement at our sole discretion upon written notice. Without patent term adjustment (“PTA”) or patent term extension (“PTE”), the CVC IP will expire in 2033. For products and services sold by us that are covered by the CVC IP, we will owe low- to mid-single-digit percent royalties on net sales, subject to a minimum annual royalty. Prior to the time that we are selling products, we owe UC/Vienna an annual license maintenance fee. We will owe UC/Vienna up to $3.1 million in certain regulatory and clinical milestone payments in the field of human therapeutics and diagnostics for products that are covered by the CVC IP. Additionally, we pay UC/Vienna a specified percentage of sublicensing revenue, including cash and equity, we receive from sublicensing the CVC IP, subject to certain exceptions. If we include intellectual property owned or controlled by us in a sublicense to the CVC IP, we pay UC/Vienna a low double-digit percentage of sublicensing revenues received under the sublicense. If we do not include intellectual property owned or controlled by us in a sublicense to the CVC IP, we pay UC/Vienna 50% of sublicensing revenues received under the sublicense. To date, we have entered into over 30 sublicensing agreements in a variety of fields such as human therapeutics, animal therapeutics, agriculture, forestry, research reagents, transgenic animals, certain livestock targets, internal research, bioproduction, cell lines, and microbial applications that include the CVC IP as well as other Cas9 intellectual property owned or controlled by us. We are obligated to reimburse UC for its prosecution and maintenance costs of the CVC IP.

For the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, we incurred $1.7 million and $1.1 million, respectively, for payments we owe to UC related to sublicensing revenues, which we recorded in research and development expenses in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

For the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, we reimbursed UC $1.8 million and $1.7 million, respectively, for prosecution and maintenance costs of the CVC IP, which were recorded in general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

On December 15, 2016, we entered into a Consent to Assignments, Licensing and Common Ownership and Invention Management Agreement (“IMA”) relating to the CVC IP. Under the IMA, CRISPR Therapeutics AG reimburses us 50% of the amounts we reimburse UC for patent prosecution and maintenance costs of the CVC IP. For each of the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, CRISPR Therapeutics AG reimbursed us $0.9 million, which we recorded as reductions of general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Intellia Therapeutics, Inc.

On July 16, 2014, we entered into a License Agreement (as amended, “Intellia License Agreement”) with Intellia, LLC, to which Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (“Intellia”) is a successor in interest. Under the Intellia License Agreement, we granted Intellia an exclusive worldwide license, with the right to sublicense, to certain CRISPR-Cas9 technology for a defined field of human therapeutics. Intellia granted us an exclusive worldwide license, with the right to sublicense, to certain of its CRISPR-Cas9 technology for all fields outside of the defined field of human therapeutics. Under the Intellia License Agreement, each party is responsible for 30% of the other party’s expenses for prosecution and maintenance of the licensed intellectual property.