Charles River Laboratories opened another RightSourceSM facility, the first in the U.K., which will provide services to the Stevenage advanced therapies biocluster. RightSource is a flexible biologics testing lab, operated and managed by Charles River, focusing on quality control (QC) processes. There is also a RightSource lab established with Wheeler Bio in Oklahoma City, OK.
RightSource provides clients with enhanced turnaround times by bringing testing closer to manufacturing facilities, providing capabilities without delays caused by shipping samples, according to Ian Wyllie, director of operations. The platform-based QC lab will be operated by Charles River employees who will utilize Charles River’s management systems, test methods, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to support QC testing needs.
“Traditional testing paradigms place the burden on the client—from developing processes and upfront lab setup costs to bearing responsibility for regulatory compliance,” said Wyllie. “The RightSource business model significantly reduces that burden. By leveraging our flexible testing platform and robust scientific expertise, clients gain direct access to industry-leading biologics testing, located next to their manufacturing operations.”
“By bringing further quality control testing into the Stevenage bioscience cluster, the facility will enable more advanced testing to take place locally, reducing the turnaround time and cost for cell and gene therapy developers to manufacture their products in the area,” added Matthew Durdy, chief executive of the Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Catapult.
Charles River and the CGT Catapult have agreed to collaborate to help the companies based at CGT Catapult’s Stevenage Manufacturing Innovation Center increase their productivity by working with RightSource services. CGT Catapult will assist its collaborators by providing sample transfers and digital integration.
One operating model, multiple applications
RightSource also offers a fully dedicated lab-in-a-box solution for biopharmaceutical companies who are looking to have QC testing carried out on-site, explained Wyllie.
“While RightSource Stevenage offers decentralized testing proximal to biotech hubs, the lab-in-a-box solution offers individual clients the convenience of in-facility testing. Unlike standard insourcing solutions, RightSource offers clients the complete Charles River package of proprietary assays with all of the associated quality, scientific, and digital platforms,” he continued. “Having a RightSource program in-house enables clients to have their own dedicated QC team without the hassle of building or maintaining it themselves.
As Charles River continues investing in digitalization, all RightSource clients will automatically receive enhanced products and services. The RightSource Stevenage lab will be operational in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Separately, Charles River launched a new platform, Lentivation™, that the company will use to expedite lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy manufacturing. This platform will reduce LVV production timelines to less than seven months from 18 months, speeding up traditional manufacturing workflow timelines by up to 60%, claims a Charles River official.
