CELLphenomics and Charles River announce agreement, expanding 3D in vitro services for cancer therapy drug screening

Berlin, Germany and Wilmington, Mass., Jan. 9, 2024 – CELLphenomics and Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) announced an agreement, that provides Charles River clients with access to CELLphenomics’ proprietary 3D tumor model platform, PD3D^®, which will expand Charles River’s 3D in vitro testing services to further optimize oncological approaches for its clients.

CELLphenomics’ core competence is the establishment and cultivation of complex patient-derived 3D cell culture models (PD3D^®) from various solid tumor tissues. These highly reliable and predictive preclinical PD3D models robustly recapitulate the biological properties of the donor tissue, including key histopathological features and genomic makeup. They are a powerful tool for disease modeling, biomarker, and drug discovery. CELLphenomics’ continuously growing biobank comprises more than 500 complex in vitro models from more than 20 tumor entities and offers the world’s largest collection of complex in vitro models of rare and ultra-rare tumors like sarcomas or thymomas. 

CELLphenomics has developed a custom high-throughput screening platform that blends complex cell culture models with advanced automation and a streamlined analysis pipeline. The proprietary precision medicine PD3D platform offers high-throughput efficacy testing, drug combination screening, toxicity profiling, target validation, drug sensitivity correlation with clinical response, and biomarker identification.

Charles River offers a range of cancer cell-based assays, including patient-derived xenograft (PDX) assays and assays representing the entire tumor microenvironment (TME), so therapies are not only tested for their effect on real patient materials, but also their interaction with the human immune systems. Leveraging CELLphenomics technology, Charles River will now have a novel in vitro option for identifying therapeutics for rare and ultra-rare disease types.

The agreement will also provide CELLphenomics access to Charles River’s genomically annotated and in vivo characterized cancer model database. The database is comprised of more than 700 tumor models, including PDX, cell lines and cell line derived xenografts (CDX). These models have been extensively profiled for histological features, molecular data, and sensitivity to standard-of-care compounds, allowing a precise selection of suitable tumor models for preclinical anti-cancer agent testing. The biological advantages of PDX include the retention of histological and genetic characteristics of the donor tumor and the preservation of cell-autonomous heterogeneity. The merge of both biobanks will significantly increase the translational relevance of the in vitro and the in vivo platforms offered by CELLphenomics and Charles River. 

Approved Quotes

• “This agreement allows us full access to Charles River’s impressive biobank and data. Now we can provide them with high quality models of the same genomic background through the entire preclinical development process – literally for any solid tumor type. From large high-throughput in vitro screens to selected PDX models, with Charles Rivers as our partner, we can ensure an even more swiftly developmental process for novel anti-cancer drugs. Together, we make our customers’ compounds work.” – Dr. Christian Regenbrecht, CEO CELLphenomics
• “The field of in vitro services for oncology research is rapidly developing. We’re excited for the integration of CELLphenomics’ tumor model platform into our existing portfolio of products and services.” – Aidan Synnott, Corporate Vice President, Global Discovery Services, Charles River 
• Our clients will benefit from this enhanced offering, but ultimately, our work will benefit patients who desperately need new treatments for cancer.” – Julia Schueler, PhD, Research Director and Therapeutic Area Lead, Oncology, Charles River
  
  

About CELLphenomics
CELLphenomics establishes and cultivates complex patient-derived 3D cell culture models (PD3D^®) from various solid tumor tissues. The company’s in vitro services combine wet-lab biology, automation and high throughput screening directly on patient samples to help predict responses to potential therapies, and ultimately determine which drugs or drug combinations will be most effective for specific types of cancers. To learn more, visit: www.cellphenomics.com

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.