Researchers highlight the importance of next-generation technologies as strategic tools for drug discovery

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) today announced that its team of oncology experts will attend the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, with 19 scientific posters and a spotlight presentation to highlight its enhanced oncology portfolio. The meeting is taking place from April 14-19, 2023, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, with Charles River at Booth #943.

Charles River’s team of industry-leading oncology experts have contributed to 84 percent of the cancer therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration from 2018-2022. Additionally, Charles River has been named as co-inventors on 78 patents, and supported 16 clinical candidates and 11 FDA-approved cell and gene therapies. At the AACR Annual Meeting, researchers will present recent work utilizing emerging tools and approaches for cancer research.

Navigating Cell Therapy Discovery and Development

Cell therapies continue to be a focus in the field of advanced therapies. During a Spotlight Session, scientific leaders from across disciplines will discuss cell therapy discovery and development, including insights into the discovery journey from materials, research models, and quality assessment, as well as considerations and capabilities to streamline research and mitigate self-inflicted risks.

• Tuesday, April 18, 3:00-4:00 p.m., Theater A: Navigating Cell Therapy Discovery and Development, featuring:
  • Nicholas Ostrout, Senior Advisor Cell & Gene Therapy
  • Arif Khan, Senior Scientist Lead
  • Gemma Moiset, Group Leader Advanced Modalities
  • Steven Bronson, Scientific Product Manager

Utilizing Technology to Fuel Discovery Innovation

Mutation-targeting therapies have become a new paradigm for cancer treatment. In a joint poster presentation, Charles River and Cypre, Inc. will present the use of 3D in vitro tumor panels, that include a hydrogel matrix and fibroblasts to replicate the stromal compartment of the tumor microenvironment to test mutation-targeting therapies. The strategic partnership between Charles River and Cypre provides clients with access to Cypre’s proprietary 3D hydrogel patterning technology – Symphony® and VersaGel® – to predict therapeutic efficacy of targeted and immuno-oncology agents in a more representative and high throughput model of the tumor microenvironment. The models incorporate patient-derived xenografts (PDX) from Charles River’s Cancer Model Database, enabling a seamless transition to in vivo studies following indication and model selection.

• Monday, April 17, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Section 20: KRAS, BRAF, BRCA1 and EGFR Mutation-Specific Panels using Hydrogel-Based 3D in vitro Tumor Models

Identifying how to optimally combine immunotherapies with other available anti-cancer therapies is a major challenge in oncology. In February 2021, Charles River announced a strategic partnership with Kibur Medical to offer exclusive access to its implantable microdevice (IMD) for in vivo preclinical oncology studies. Now, in a joint poster presentation, Charles River and Kibur Medical highlight the use of an implantable microdevice that allows cassette microdosing and measurement of intratumor drug responses and anti-tumor immunity for up to 20 different agents in parallel.

• Tuesday, April 18, 1:30-5:00 p.m., Section 21: Transcriptomic Analysis in a Renal Cancer PDX Model Enables the Deconvolution of Additive and Synergistic Effects of the Six Different Standard of Care Compounds with Anti-PD-1 Treatment

Lastly, the increased use of machine learning (ML) in drug discovery has allowed medicinal chemists to operate at a vastly different scale than traditional approaches by enabling them to search much larger universes of potential compounds. In 2022, Charles River and Valo Health launched Logica^TM, an artificial intelligence (AI) powered solution that directly translates clients’ biological insights into optimized preclinical assets. Experts from the Logica team will be available at the Charles River Booth #943 to discuss the unique risk-sharing model of Logica that ties costs to value generation points.

A full schedule of Charles River’s activities during AACR 2023, as well was reprints of each poster, are available online. Charles River experts will be available for meetings to discuss how an integrated approach can support drug discovery and development programs from hit identification to IND (Investigational New Drug) filing.

Throughout the conference, Charles River will be providing live updates on the Eureka Blog, including reviews of scientific sessions and input on the research being presented.

Approved Quotes

• “Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and patients are relying on the research and development of new therapeutics. AACR offers our researchers a unique opportunity to learn from leaders in the industry and share critically important knowledge to further innovation.” – Aidan Synnott, Corporate Vice President, Global Discovery Services, Charles River
• "Logica integrates world-leading laboratory capabilities with best-in-class AI-driven molecular design. The offering is packaged in a unique, success-based pricing model that produces a development candidate that is ~50% less expensive than alternatives. Given the breadth of Logica's capabilities, we are confident that the molecules we deliver will be considerably better than what can be provided by other offerings. It’s a win-win.” –Guido Lanza, Senior Vice President, and Logica General Manager, Valo Health
• “Kibur Medical provides drug developers with the unique ability to simultaneously profile in situ anti-tumor activity of up to 20 unique agents or combinations independently. This deep molecular insight into in vivo tumor-drug pharmacodynamics significantly accelerates and de-risks oncology drug development and precision medicine.” – Professor Oliver Jonas, co-Founder, Kibur Medical Inc.
• "Cypre 3D Tumor Panels offer PDX IC50 data in 30 days. Leveraging the Cypre hydrogel patterning technology, targeted- and immuno-therapeutic leads of various modalities (small molecules, antibodies, and cell therapy) are screened against proprietary 3D in vitro models of the tumor microenvironment using high content image analysis. We look forward to serving our clients with our pre-configured Cypre Tumor Panel Catalog." – Kolin C. Hribar, PhD, CEO & Founder, Cypre Inc.

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.

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