
Charles River Laboratories Announces New Advanced Therapy Lab in UK to Better Serve Customers
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has introduced its first RightSourceSM facility in the United Kingdom, designed to serve the Stevenage advanced therapies biocluster. RightSource is a biologics testing lab managed by Charles River, delivering rapid, dependable quality control (QC) services with enhanced turnaround times by bringing testing closer to manufacturing facilities. The platform-based QC lab will be operated by Charles River employees utilizing their quality management systems and SOPs, reducing the burden on clients. The lab-in-a-box solution offered by RightSource allows biopharmaceutical companies to have QC testing carried out onsite, simplifying in-facility testing for individual clients. Speaking to the new facility Matthew Durdy, Chief Executive of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult), an independent innovation and technology organization specializing in the advancement of cell and gene therapies, highlighted the ability of the new facility to, “Reduce the turnaround time and cost for cell and gene therapy developers.” The Stevenage lab will be operational in Q4 2023.
The Company has been enhancing its gene and cellular therapy capabilities. Last year Charles River Laboratories International announced it was expanding its cell therapy contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) facility in Memphis, Tennessee, with nine new state-of-the-art processing suites that adhere to good manufacturing practices and international regulatory standards. The new suites were configured for high-volume production and dual production lines for late-stage clinical and commercial manufacturing. The expansion allowed more cell therapy developers to streamline their programs and bring transformative medicines to patients worldwide. The Memphis facility was also the first CDMO in North America to receive EMA approval to commercially produce allogeneic cell therapy drug products.