Charles River and Captain T Cell Announce Plasmid DNA and Viral Vector Manufacturing Alliance for Gene-Modified Cell Therapy
Charles River Laboratories and Captain T Cell have announced a strategic alliance for the production of plasmid DNA and viral vectors to support T-cell immunotherapy clinical trials. This collaboration, part of Charles River's Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Accelerator Program, will leverage Charles River's extensive CDMO capabilities to aid Captain T Cell's development of TCR-T cell therapies for solid tumors. Captain T Cell focuses on creating T cells equipped with advanced tumor-specific receptors to treat patients whose tumors are unresponsive to existing treatments. Charles River's well-established production capabilities will streamline Captain T Cell's path from pre-clinical to commercial scale, aimed at enhancing the availability and efficacy of T-cell immunotherapies for cancer patients.
- Charles River’s collaboration with Captain T Cell expands portfolio and expertise in the T-cell immunotherapy sector.
- The agreement leverages Charles River’s extensive CDMO capabilities, enhancing service delivery from pre-clinical to commercial scale.
- Captain T Cell’s innovative TCR-T cell therapy targets solid tumors unresponsive to other treatments, potentially opening new markets.
- Charles River's legacy testing and production capabilities provide a robust 'concept-to-cure' solution for advanced therapies.
- The partnership aims to increase the efficacy and availability of T-cell immunotherapies, potentially improving patient outcomes.
- No specific financial details or figures were disclosed in the PR, leaving investors without concrete financial impact data.
- The success of Captain T Cell's TCR-T cell therapy is still uncertain as it is only entering Phase I clinical trials.
- Potential manufacturing and production risks could arise, given the complex nature of gene-modified cell therapies.
The alliance between Charles River Laboratories and Captain T Cell represents a significant step forward in the development of TCR-T cell therapies for solid tumors. These therapies are at the forefront of cancer treatment, particularly for tumors that have become resistant to existing treatments. The use of plasmid DNA and viral vector manufacturing capabilities from Charles River will likely expedite the trial phase, potentially bringing innovative treatments to market faster. This partnership also highlights the growing trend towards personalized medicine in oncology, where treatments are tailored to the specific genetic makeup of a patient's tumor. Investors should note that success in the clinical trials could lead to a substantial increase in market share for both companies, given the high demand for more effective cancer treatments.
From a financial perspective, this partnership could be highly beneficial for Charles River Laboratories. By expanding its services to include advanced cell and gene therapy manufacturing, the company is not only diversifying its revenue streams but also positioning itself as a key player in the rapidly growing biotech sector. The demand for plasmid DNA and viral vector production is expected to rise, driven by the increasing number of gene therapy trials. This could result in a steady increase in revenue for Charles River in the coming years. For Captain T Cell, this collaboration offers a cost-effective and efficient way to advance its T-cell therapies through clinical trials, potentially leading to significant value creation if their therapies prove successful.
In the broader context of the biotechnology market, the collaboration between Charles River and Captain T Cell underscores the critical role of contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) in the development of advanced therapies. CDMOs like Charles River provide essential services that allow smaller biotech firms to focus on innovation without the burden of building expensive manufacturing infrastructure. This trend is likely to continue as the demand for specialized manufacturing capabilities grows, driven by advances in cell and gene therapies. Investors should pay attention to the performance of CDMOs in the market, as they are poised to benefit from the increasing number of biotech firms seeking their services.
Leveraging CGT CDMO expertise to support T-cell immunotherapy clinical trial
An Award-winning Approach to Cancer Immunotherapy
With the goal to give new patient groups access to T cell immunotherapies, Captain T Cell is developing efficacy-enhanced treatment options for solid tumor therapies. Using a toolbox of next-generation technologies, Captain T Cell generates T cells displaying tumor-specific T cell receptors (TCR) as well as enhanced persistence and the capacity to cope with the hostile tumor microenvironment of difficult-to-treat solid tumors. Once infused into a patient’s body, these tumor-specific T cells intend to find and destroy tumor cells. This therapeutic method may provide an option for patients with tumors that no longer respond to other therapies.
Cell and Gene Therapy CDMO Solutions
To bring its gene-modified cell therapy to clinic, Captain T Cell will leverage Charles River’s established plasmid and viral vector production capabilities, finetuned over decades supporting CGT developers from pre-clinical to commercial scale.
In recent years, Charles River has significantly broadened its cell and gene therapy portfolio with several acquisition integrations and expansions to simplify complex supply chains and meet growing demand for plasmid DNA, viral vector, and cell therapy services. Combined with its legacy testing capabilities, Charles River offers a premier “concept-to-cure” advanced therapies solution.
Approved Quotes
- “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.” - Kerstin Dolph, Corporate Senior Vice President, Global Manufacturing, Charles River
- “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.” - Felix Lorenz, CEO, Captain T Cell
About Charles River
Charles River provides essential products and services to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies and leading academic institutions around the globe accelerate their research and drug development efforts. Our dedicated employees are focused on providing clients with exactly what they need to improve and expedite the discovery, early-stage development and safe manufacture of new therapies for the patients who need them. To learn more about our unique portfolio and breadth of services, visit www.criver.com.
About Captain T Cell
Captain T Cell develops first-in-class, efficacy-enhanced T cell therapies against solid tumors that are not addressed by existing treatments. Captain T Cell generates next-generation TCR-T cells with enhanced persistence and the capacity to cope with the hostile tumor microenvironment of difficult-to-treat solid tumors. In addition, the Company has established a novel allogeneic platform to enable off-the-shelf treatments of solid tumors. Captain T Cell is based in Schoenefeld/
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Charles River Investor Contact:
Todd Spencer
Corporate Vice President,
Investor Relations
781.222.6455
todd.spencer@crl.com
Charles River Media Contact:
Amy Cianciaruso
Corporate Vice President,
Chief Communications Officer
781.222.6168
amy.cianciaruso@crl.com
Captain T Cell Contact:
Dr. Janna Hachmann
Chief Operating Officer
info@captaintcell.com
Source: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
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