BUSINESS BRIEF: Wilmington’s Charles River Announces Inaugural Advanced Therapy Incubator Program Cohort

Below is a press release from Wilmington’s Charles River Labs:

WILMINGTON, MA — Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. recently announced the initial cohort of its Charles River Incubator Program (CIP). Launched in December 2024, the program offers early-stage biotechnology pioneers access to extensive scientific and commercial expertise and a wide ecosystem of discovery, development, and manufacturing capabilities to expedite the development of technologies and life-changing therapies for patients in need.

The first cohort includes six advanced therapy and technology developers: 64x Bio, Adjuva Bio, Purilogics by Donaldson, Gordian Bio, NanoPalm, and NVI Therapeutics. Participants will benefit from tailored mentorship, consultative regulatory and quality expertise, fit-for-purpose training initiatives, and preferential access to Charles River’s global network of facilities.

“We were incredibly impressed with the caliber of applicants for the CIP and are proud of the group chosen to participate in this first round,” said Kerstin Dolph, Corporate Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing, Charles River. “The goal of the CIP is to form a strong foundation for commercial viability as our participants support the development of life-saving therapeutics.”

Incubating Promising Drug Developers

CIP aims to support early-stage biotechnology companies in the discovery, development, and phase-appropriate manufacturing of advanced therapies.

• Adjuva Bio: Adjuva Bio is developing precision-engineered cell therapies for chronic inflammatory diseases. Adjuva Bio’s LogiCAR platform aims to enable programmable cell therapies designed to treat conditions with high unmet need and limited treatment options such as endometriosis and fibrosis.

• Gordian Bio: Developing novel therapeutics for chronic conditions leveraging an innovative screening platform that measures in vivo efficacy and safety of thousands of novel gene targets simultaneously, in individual animal models of disease.

• NanoPalm: Developing in vivo therapies for genetic diseases with an advanced lipid nanoparticle (LNP) manufacturing process designed by NanoPalm’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform.

• NVI Therapeutics: Empowering cell and gene therapy with non-viral gene insertion technology.

Shortlisted ahead of the Company’s Cell & Gene Therapy Summit in San Francisco on March 4, 2025, the founders of Adjuva Bio and NVI Therapeutics presented their companies to potential investors in the investment track. Additionally, as part of a commitment to developing a robust biotechnology ecosystem in the Middle East, Charles River previously announced a partnership with Lafana Holding, a leading Saudi investment firm. Lafana joined forces with Charles River to shortlist and select NanoPalm for inclusion in the first CIP cohort, helping to grow the life sciences industry in Saudi Arabia.

Enabling Advanced Therapy Technologies

Also supporting Charles River’s mission to create healthier lives, technology companies Purilogics by Donaldson and 64x Bio are confirmed CIP participants.

• 64x Bio: An end-to-end platform to accelerate the design and manufacture of next generation biologics including AAV, through the development of novel cell lines and production technologies.

• Purilogics by Donaldson: Leveraging Donaldson’s long track record of innovative filtration solutions, it has recently expanded into the life sciences sector with multiple bioprocessing acquisitions including its Purilogics platform. Purilogics’ Purexa membrane chromatography products aim to enhance efficiency, speed and cost of biologics purification across a variety of applications including pDNA, mRNA, mAbs and other advanced modalities.

“In a time where investment in early development is limited, incubator programs like CIP can play a crucial role in supporting early-stage companies as they refine their programs and products,” added Kristen Eisenhauer, Corporate Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Charles River. “The CIP offers access to a concept-to-cure portfolio of capabilities, unique to Charles River, and backed by a team of former regulatory advisors and industry-leading scientists, with a proven track record of success.”

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 the Company’s legacy discovery, safety assessment, and biologics testing capabilities, Charles River offers an industry-leading “concept to cure” advanced therapies solution.

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.