Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. announced the launch of its eXpDNA™ plasmid platform, established from the Company's contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) and biologics testing experience. The platform significantly reduces plasmid development and production timelines while streamlining the development journey for cell and gene therapy and vaccine developers with a focus on product quality and consistency. The platform leverages Charles River's expertise in developing, manufacturing, and releasing more than 200 High Quality (HQ) and Good Manufacturing Practice- (GMP) compliant plasmid DNA batches.

eXpDNA supports a client's plasmid DNA strategy by offering a proven, and standardized plasmid platform approach, suitable for plasmid DNA programs across various applications. The platform consists of an efficient and robust a plug-n-play screening toolbox for tackling challenging plasmids, phase-appropriate production with fit-for-purpose facilities, on-hand materials, and in-house analytics. The standardized process approach expedites batch turnaround times to five weeks for HQ plasmid and 10 weeks for GMP plasmid.

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 whilst ensuring the higher quality control. The eXpDNA plasmid manufacturing platform builds on Charles River's established plasmid DNA CDMO capabilities and processes, fine-tuned over decades successfully supporting vaccine and advanced therapy clients through clinical trials and beyond.