Charles River Secures CDMO Deal with AAVantgarde for GMP Plasmid DNA

• Charles River Laboratories and AAVantgarde have entered a CDMO agreement to produce GMP plasmid DNA.

• The partnership focuses on AAVantgarde’s Stargardt’s disease gene therapy program using Charles River’s expertise.

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) and AAVantgarde today announced a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) agreement to produce Good Manufacturing Practice- (GMP) plasmid DNA.

The agreement involves Charles River Laboratories, a global leader in contract manufacturing, and AAVantgarde, a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector platforms.

Under the agreement, Charles River will manufacture GMP plasmid DNA for AAVantgarde’s Stargardt’s disease program, using their AAV-intein platform. This platform has shown efficient recombination, delivering therapeutically meaningful protein levels. The collaboration will leverage Charles River’s manufacturing facilities, which are equipped to handle GMP production processes.

Stargardt’s disease, the most common form of inherited juvenile macular degeneration, affects approximately 1 in 6,500 people. It is characterized by a progressive loss of central vision due to mutations in the ABCA4 gene. Currently, no therapies are available for this condition, representing a high unmet medical need.

AAVantgarde will utilize Charles River’s expertise to produce the plasmid DNA necessary for their AAVB-039 program aimed at treating Stargardt’s disease. This collaboration is expected to advance the development of AAVantgarde’s gene therapy products.

Matt Stober, CEO of AAVantgarde, remarked, “This partnership with Charles River is a crucial step in advancing our Stargardt’s disease program. Their expertise in GMP plasmid DNA manufacturing is invaluable to our mission.”