Charles River Laboratories International, and Purespring Therapeutics, a gene therapy company focused on transforming the treatment of kidney diseases, announced a plasmid DNA contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) collaboration.

Supporting the first gene therapy platform targeting renal diseases, that affect approximately 840 million people, around 10 percent of the global population, the program leverages Charles River’s established plasmid platform, eXpDNA, and decades of experience at the company’s plasmid DNA manufacturing center of excellence.

“Purespring’s unique and targeted approach has the potential to radically change the treatment of kidney diseases,” said Kerstin Dolph, corporate senior vice president, biologics solutions, Charles River. “Their work is incredibly important to patients worldwide, and we are thrilled to collaborate.”

“Our team is proud to be leading a revolution in the treatment of kidney diseases and understands that a key factor to our success is developing a robust and reliable CMC platform,” said Julian Hanak, CEO, Purespring Therapeutics. “Purespring’s established relationship with Charles River leverages a breadth of contract development and manufacturing experience and expertise.”

Purespring is engaged in the development of novel therapies which have the potential to stop or significantly slow down chronic kidney diseases for which there is no current therapy available, except for dialysis or transplantation.

With an innovative focus on the podocyte, a specialized kidney cell type implicated in many kidney diseases, Purespring’s Adeno Associated Virus (AAV) based gene therapy presents a lower-dose, local delivery approach which maximizes both safety and efficacy, as well as lowering the cost of goods.

Expanding its comprehensive cell and gene therapy portfolio to span plasmid DNA, viral vector, and cell therapy production, through the acquisitions of Cobra Biologics, Vigene Biosciences, and Cognate BioServices in 2021, and in addition to recent expansion projects, Charles River offers end-to-end support and supply chain simplification for developers seeking to accelerate their program while ensuring the highest quality control.

In addition, the eXpDNA plasmid manufacturing platform builds on Charles River’s proven plasmid DNA CDMO capabilities and processes, fine-tuned over decades successfully supporting vaccine and advanced therapy clients through clinical trials and beyond.