Charles River and Gates Institute Sign CDMO Agreement for Cancer Therapies

• Charles River Laboratories and Gates Institute have entered a CDMO agreement to develop GMP-grade lentiviral vectors for CAR-T therapies targeting hematological cancers.

• The collaboration aims to support upcoming clinical trials and advance CAR-T programs through Charles River’s cell and gene therapy expertise.

Charles River Laboratories International Inc. and the Gates Institute at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have entered into a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) agreement. This partnership will see Gates Institute leveraging Charles River’s expertise in cell and gene therapy to develop Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-grade lentiviral vectors (LVVs). These vectors are crucial for novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies targeting hematological cancers.

“The cell therapy ecosystem that Gates Institute has created is exciting, and we look forward to helping them advance the development of CAR-T therapies for hematological cancers. Our complementary strengths and concept to cure capabilities are well positioned to help move the science forward into the clinic and beyond for oncology patients,” said Kerstin Dolph, Corporate Senior Vice President, Biologics Solutions, Charles River.

The Gates Institute aims to accelerate its CAR-T programs through this collaboration. The partnership will utilize Charles River’s plasmid and lentiviral vector production capabilities. Terry Fry, MD, Executive Director of Gates Institute, commented, “We value this new partnership with Charles River, an industry leader in biopharmaceutical services. In the near term, this collaboration will accelerate the Gates Institute CAR-T programs with their plasmid and lentiviral vector production. Looking ahead to our long-term collaboration, we remain committed to advancing patient impact more broadly.”

Located at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, the Gates Institute focuses on developing and delivering advanced therapies in cell and gene therapy. The Institute combines the efforts of researchers, clinicians, and a GMP biomanufacturing facility to support first-in-human clinical trials.

Through this strategic collaboration, Gates Institute will access Charles River’s established manufacturing platforms and dedicated viral vector CDMO center of excellence. This includes services such as process development evaluation of Gates Institute’s LVV backbone, phase-appropriate research grade and High-Quality (HQ) plasmid DNA production, and GMP LVV manufacturing. The materials produced will support an upcoming Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Phase I clinical trials.