Charles River Laboratories Launches Off-the-Shelf Lentiviral Vector Packaging Plasmids

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) today announced the launch of its off-the-shelf lentiviral vector (LVV) packaging plasmids, providing a streamlined solution to the challenges associated with plasmid sourcing in cell and gene therapies.

Cell and gene therapies often rely on plasmid DNA (pDNA) as a critical starting material. However, production challenges such as capacity bottlenecks and timeline pressures, as well as a need for process development optimization can result in increased lead time, cost and complexity. Charles River’s off-the-shelf packaging plasmids offer an alternative solution to these hurdles with immediate availability, reduced development costs and simplified supply chains that streamline and secure lentiviral vector production.

In addition to its off-the-shelf offerings, Charles River provides services to meet customer specific needs such as regulatory requirements or product characteristics. These include viral vector production services ranging from clone construction through good manufacturing practice (GMP) for clinical trials or commercial use.

Gene Therapy LVV Plasmids Launch

Charles River will showcase its ready-to-use, off-the-shelf LVV packaging plasmids during the Cell and Gene Therapy Summit Tour, London, UK on June 12.

We are thrilled to announce this addition to our product offering. Our LVV packaging plasmids allow us to further support advanced therapy programs and most importantly, help expedite the delivery of safe, effective therapies to those who need them most." - Kerstin Dolph, Corporate Senior Vice President, Biologics Solutions

Alongside a wealth of expert speakers and panel discussions, Ramin Baghirzade, PhD, Senior Director, Global Head of Commercial, Gene Therapy CDMO Services at Charles River will present, Charles River’s Gene Therapy Journey.

Plasmid DNA CDMO Services
The addition of off-the-shelf LVV plasmids follows the launch of Charles River’s pHelper plasmids aimed at supporting AAV based gene therapy programs and eXpDNA™ plasmid manufacturing platform, established over decades of plasmid DNA CDMO scale-up experience which significantly reduces plasmid production turnaround time for advanced therapy medical product (ATMP) and vaccine developers.

In recent years, Charles River has significantly broadened its cell and gene therapy portfolio with several acquisitions and recent expansions to simplify complex supply chains and meet growing global demand for plasmid DNA, viral vector, and cell therapy services. The Company offers end-to-end support and supply chain simplification for cell and gene therapy developers. Combined with the Company’s legacy testing services, Charles River offers an industry-leading “concept-to-cure” solution for advanced therapies.

Charles River’s LVV packaging plasmids offer researchers and manufacturers a high-quality, reliable tool to support their LVV viral vectors production. The new plasmids will be a valuable resource to develop new treatments for a wide range of programs in preclinical and clinical development with the continuity of supply for commercial use” - Andrew Frazer, Associate Director, Scientific Solutions