The collaboration will use Charles River’s contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services to manufacture plasmid DNA and viral vectors for late-stage clinical trials that target degenerative ocular diseases, which have no cure.
Through the collaboration, Nanoscope will gain access to manufacturing platforms as well as several Charles River CDMO centres of excellence.
The new partnership builds on Charles River’s purchase of Vigene Biosciences, Cognate BioServices, and Cobra Biologics last year.
This expanded the company’s complete portfolio pf cell and gene therapy (C>) to cover every major CDMO platforms, such as viral vector, cell therapy, and plasmid DNA production.
Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Nanoscope Therapeutics is developing gene-agnostic, sight restoring optogenetic therapies to cure genetic diseases which cause vision impairment and blindness.
The diseases include Dry Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Retinitis Pigmentosa, and Stargardt Disease.
The company is developing a platform technology that uses Multi-Characteristic Opsins (MCO) which has potential to treat several genetic illnesses.
Its optogenetic therapy uses AAV2 vector for delivering MCO genes into retinal cells for enabling vision in different colour environments.
Charles River Biologics Solutions Corporate senior vice-president Kerstin Dolph said: “We are excited to continue to support Nanoscope Therapeutics’ efforts in the production of gene therapies that are focused on restoring vision for people suffering from retinal degenerative diseases with no known cure.”
Nanoscope’s optogenetic therapy will be given as a single intravitreal injection without requiring any other devices or interventions.