CDMO Charles River Laboratories International and gene therapy biotech Nanoscope Therapeutics announced this week that they would be working together for the development and manufacturing of both plasmid DNA and viral vectors.
The recently established collaboration will give Nanoscope access to Charles River manufacturing platforms including services like GMP cell banking and more. Leveraging the CDMO’s services, the biotech will continue developing its gene-agnostic, “sight-restoring” optogenic therapies for retinal degenerative diseases.
Nanoscope’s therapies use a proprietary AAV2 vector that delivers functional Multi-Characteristic Opsin (MCO) genes into retinal cells to reinstate vision. Currently, its lead asset MCO-010 is in phase 2b trials for retinitis pigmentosa.
As for Charles River, the CDMO had a busy 2021, acquiring Cognate BioServices, Cobra Biologics, and Retrogenix, expanding its antibody discovery, biologics testing, cell supply, and safety testing capabilities.