Description of the business	3 Months Ended
Description of the business	Mar. 31, 2022
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of the business	Description of the business bluebird bio, Inc. (the “Company” or “bluebird”) was incorporated in Delaware on April 16, 1992, and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Company is a biotechnology company committed to researching, developing and commercializing potentially transformative gene therapies for severe genetic diseases. Since its inception, the Company has devoted substantially all of its resources to its research and development efforts relating to its product candidates, including activities to manufacture product candidates, conduct clinical studies of its product candidates, perform preclinical research to identify new product candidates and provide selling, general and administrative support for these operations, including commercial-readiness activities. The Company’s programs in severe genetic diseases include betibeglogene autotemcel ("beti-cel", formerly "LentiGlobin for β-thalassemia gene therapy") as a treatment for β-thalassemia; lovotibeglogene autotemcel ("lovo-cel", formerly "LentiGlobin for SCD") as a treatment for sickle cell disease ("SCD"); and elivaldogene autotemcel ("eli-cel", formerly "Lenti-D gene therapy") as a treatment for cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy ("CALD"). In August 2021, the Company announced its intent to focus its severe genetic disease business on the U.S. market and further invest in research and development for its core programs in β-thalassemia, SCD, and CALD. As part of the strategy to focus on the U.S. market, it began executing an orderly wind down of its European operations, which will result in a reduction of selling, general and administrative costs and had an impact on the Company's excess inventory analysis, which is based on sales forecasts and projected inventory consumption levels. In November 2021, the Company completed the separation of its severe genetic disease and oncology programs into two separate, independent publicly traded companies, bluebird bio, Inc. and 2seventy bio, Inc. (“2seventy bio”), a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company prior to the separation. bluebird retained its severe genetic disease programs, including programs for β-thalassemia, SCD, and CALD, with a focus on the U.S. market. In April 2022, the Board of Directors approved a comprehensive restructuring plan intended to reduce operating expenses and enhance the Company’s focus on achieving U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") approval for its programs in the U.S. The Company intends to maintain targeted research efforts focused on in-vivo lentiviral vector ("LVV") gene therapy and to deprioritize direct investments in reduced toxicity conditioning and cryopreserved apheresis. The restructuring is anticipated to produce up to $160 million in cost savings over the next two years. As part of the restructuring, bluebird plans to reduce its workforce by approximately 30% across the second and third quarters of 2022. Refer to Note 13, Subsequent events, for more information on this restructuring. As of March 31, 2022, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of approximately $266.6 million. The Company has incurred losses since inception and to date has financed its operations primarily through the sale of equity securities and, to a lesser extent, through collaboration agreements and grants from charitable foundations. As of March 31, 2022, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $3.84 billion. During the three months ended March 31, 2022, the Company incurred a loss of $122.2 million and used $125.3 million of cash in operations. The Company expects to continue to generate operating losses and negative operating cash flows for the next few years and will need additional funding to support its planned operating activities through profitability. The transition to profitability is dependent upon the successful development, approval, and commercialization of beti-cel, eli-cel, and lovo-cel, and the achievement of a level of revenues adequate to support its cost structure. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 205-40, Going Concern ("ASC 205-40"), the Company evaluated whether there are conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that these condensed consolidated financial statements are issued. This evaluation initially does not take into consideration the potential mitigating effect of management’s plans that have not been fully implemented as of the date the financial statements are issued. When substantial doubt exists under this methodology, management evaluates whether the mitigating effect of its plans sufficiently alleviates substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The mitigating effect of management’s plans, however, is only considered if both (1) it is probable that the plans will be effectively implemented within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued, and (2) it is probable that the plans, when implemented, will mitigate the relevant conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that these condensed consolidated financial statements are issued. In performing its analysis, management excluded certain elements of its operating plan that cannot be considered probable. Under ASC 205-40, the future receipt of potential funding from future equity or debt issuances, the release of restricted cash related to the Company’s 50 Binney Street lease, and the potential sale of priority review vouchers cannot be considered probable at this time because these plans are not entirely within the Company’s control nor have been approved by the Board of Directors as of the date of these condensed consolidated financial statements. The restructuring plan described above was approved by the Board of Directors in April 2022 and therefore was incorporated into the Company's assessment of its ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that these condensed consolidated financial statements are issued. The Company's expectation to generate operating losses and negative operating cash flows in the future and the need for additional funding to support its planned operations raise substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year after the date that these condensed consolidated financial statements are issued. Management's plans to alleviate the conditions that raise substantial doubt include implementing reduced 2022 spending, including projected savings through the move of the Company's headquarters to Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts, the completion of its orderly wind down of European operations, the completion of its April 2022 restructuring plans, the potential sale of priority review vouchers that would be issued with the potential U.S. regulatory approvals of BLAs for beti-cel and/or eli-cel, and the pursuit of additional cash resources through public or private equity or debt financings. Management has concluded the likelihood that its plan to successfully obtain sufficient funding from one or more of these sources, or adequately reduce expenditures, while reasonably possible, is less than probable. In accordance with ASC 205-40, the Company has concluded that substantial doubt exists about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least 12 months from the date of issuance of these condensed consolidated financial statements. The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might result from the outcome of the uncertainties described above.