Charles River Laboratories launched the Charles River Incubator Program (CIP), specializing in supporting early-stage biotech companies in the discovery, development, and phase-appropriate manufacturing of advanced therapies.
“The Charles River Incubator Program launch, through our Global Innovation Center of Excellence (CoE), demonstrates a continued commitment to the global biotechnology industry by offering knowledge, connectivity, and priority access to the Charles River portfolio,” said Kerstin Dolph, corporate senior vice president, global manufacturing, Charles River.
Building on the company’s global Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Accelerator Program (CAP), the CIP focuses on nurturing innovative start-up and early-stage biofirms, explained Dolph. The objective of the CIP is to form a strong foundation for commercial viability as its participants gain momentum with the goal of imparting cost-effective, consultative regulatory and quality expertise, personnel training initiatives, and enabling access to laboratory space and equipment, she continued, adding that developers are invited to apply to be part of the next cohort:
- CIP–Incubates biotechnology developers in the discovery phase, 24+ months from investigational new drug (IND) or clinical trial application (CTA) submission.
- CAP–Accelerates advanced therapy developers 18–24 months from IND or CTA submission.
Leveraging a concept-to-cure portfolio
According to Dolph, the CIP and CAP are reinforced by the Global Innovation CoE, which amalgamates a cross-functional team of scientific, regulatory, and manufacturing specialists in:
- Drug Discovery
- Safety Assessment
- Research Models
- Clinical to Commercial Contract Development and Manufacturing
- Microbial Solutions
The Global Innovation CoE is based out of the company’s contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) CoE located in the Alderley Park campus in the U.K.
The next cohort shortlist will be identified in conjunction with the upcoming Cell and Gene Therapy Summit on March 4, in San Francisco, said Dolph, who invited interested parties to meet with a Charles River representative at Advanced Therapies Week, January 20–23, in Dallas.