Charles River Joins Forces with Captain T Cell for TCR-T Cell Therapy Production

• Charles River Laboratories and Captain T Cell have signed an agreement for plasmid DNA and retrovirus vector production.

• The partnership aims to develop TCR-T cell therapy for solid tumor patients, leveraging Charles River’s CDMO capabilities.

Charles River Laboratories International Inc. and Captain T Cell, a spinoff from the Max Delbrück Center Berlin, Germany, have signed an agreement to produce plasmid DNA and retrovirus vectors. This collaboration is part of Charles River’s Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Accelerator Program (CAP).

Captain T Cell plans to manufacture a TCR-T cell therapy for solid tumor patients, targeting a Phase I clinical trial. The company aims to offer new patient groups access to enhanced T cell immunotherapies, especially for those whose tumors no longer respond to other treatments. By employing advanced technologies, Captain T Cell generates tumor-specific T cell receptors (TCR) with enhanced persistence and the ability to withstand hostile tumor microenvironments.

Leveraging Charles River’s established plasmid and viral vector production capabilities, Captain T Cell is poised to bring its gene-modified cell therapy to the clinic. Charles River’s decades of experience support CGT developers from pre-clinical to commercial scale.

In recent years, Charles River has expanded its cell and gene therapy portfolio to simplify complex supply chains and meet the growing demand for plasmid DNA, viral vector, and cell therapy services. This expansion positions Charles River as a premier provider of advanced therapies from concept to cure.

“We are thrilled to work with the Captain T Cell team to support the manufacture of its TCR-T cell cancer immunotherapy. Charles River has decades of success reliably manufacturing plasmid DNA, viral vectors, and cell therapies, helping to safeguard our customer programs and bring potential therapies to patients with limited options,” remarked Kerstin Dolph, Corporate Senior Vice President, Global Manufacturing, Charles River.

Felix Lorenz, CEO of Captain T Cell, added, “Captain T Cell is devoted to developing a new generation of toolbox-engineered T cell-based immunotherapies for solid tumor patients. We have the utmost confidence in the expertise of Charles River as we work to bring our lead candidate to the clinic.”