UniQure, the Dutch gene therapy maker with operations in Lexington, said Thursday it will cut about 20 percent of its workforce, or 114 jobs, as it joins the growing list of biotechs shedding workers in the industry downturn.
The firm also said it will stop investing in more than half of its research projects and let go of its chief scientific officer, Ricardo Dolmetsch, as it seeks to save about $180 million over the next three years. Rich Porter, chief business officer, will pick up many of Dolmetsch’s duties.
Most of the layoffs will be in Amsterdam, where UniQure’s research operations are located, but 35 will be in Lexington, according to Tom Malone, a company spokesperson.
The restructuring will not affect the manufacturing of a gene therapy for the bleeding disorder hemophilia B that UniQure developed for CSL Behring, a unit of the Australian drug firm CSL Ltd, UniQure said. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the treatment, called Hemgenix, last November. It costs $3.5 million for a one-time infusion and became the world’s most expensive drug when it was approved.
“We are taking important actions today to cut operating expenses while ensuring that we have the necessary resources to advance our prioritized clinical-stage programs as rapidly as possible to proof-of-concept,” said Matt Kapusta, UniQure’s chief executive.
He said the firm intends to focus its research and development on several rare genetic disorders, including Huntington’s disease and Fabry disease, a disorder that results from the buildup of a type of fat in the body’s cells. UniQure is also continuing work on treatments for forms of epilepsy and ALS.
Jonathan Saltzman can be reached at jonathan.saltzman@globe.com.