Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. entered into a High Quality (HQ) plasmid manufacturing collaboration with Fondazione Telethon, a rare disease organization, to leverage Charles River’s cell and gene contract services to manufacture HQ plasmid DNA for Fondazione Telethon’s lentivirus production that will be used in ex vivo cell and gene therapy.

Fondazione Telethon is an Italian-based, non-profit organization and a biomedical research foundation focused on advancing cures for rare genetic diseases. 

Through the alliance, Fondazione Telethon will have access to established manufacturing platforms and multiple Charles River CDMO centers of excellence, leveraging a comprehensive range of services including GMP cell banking and HQ and GMP-grade plasmid DNA manufacturing.

Plasmid DNA is a critical starting material for many cell and gene therapies with a demand that continues to outstrip supply. Charles River recently announced the opening of a state-of-the-art HQ plasmid manufacturing center of excellence to help address the supply shortages and support the growing needs of the cell and gene therapy field.

“We are thrilled to work with Fondazione Telethon to produce HQ plasmid DNA for Fondazione Telethon’s lentivirus for ex vivo gene therapy,” said Kerstin Dolph, corporate senior vice president, biologics solutions, Charles River. “Charles River has had decades of success developing, producing, and reliably delivering plasmid DNA, which provides confidence customers are in safe hands.”