WILMINGTON, Mass. — Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. announced the launch of the second cohort of its Cell & Gene Therapy Incubator Program, expanding its support for early-stage developers working in advanced therapies. The program, introduced in late 2024 with its first cohort announced earlier this year, gives emerging biotechnology companies access to scientific, regulatory and commercial resources aimed at accelerating development from early concept to clinical application. Applications are now open for the 2026 cohort.
Kerstin Dolph, Corporate Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing at Charles River, said the program continues to attract strong talent in the advanced therapy sector. “The CIP’s success shows how effectively it attracts top talent and promotes innovation,” she said. “By establishing a strong foundation for commercial viability, the CIP is helping participants advance life-saving therapeutics and transform innovative ideas into real-world impact.”
The new cohort includes six companies: four focused on developing advanced therapies and two working on enabling technologies. Participants receive tailored mentorship, regulatory and quality guidance, specialized training, and priority access to Charles River’s global network supporting cell and gene therapy development.
The therapy developers selected for the incubator include CureAge Therapeutics, InterAct Therapeutics, Jaan Biotherapeutics, Inc., and Kopra Bio. Enabling technology participants include W.R. Grace & Co. and HTLab AG’s Biowerkli platform.
CureAge Therapeutics is developing a platform to treat peripheral nerve diseases affecting more than 180 million people worldwide, beginning with Neurofibromatosis type 1. “Our platform expands possibilities for patients with peripheral nerve diseases and offers a new therapeutic path for NF1 patients, with the potential to cure existing tumors and prevent new ones from forming,” said Dr. Gonzalo Fernández-Miranda, CEO and co-founder. He said the company’s selection marks an important milestone in accelerating progress toward clinical development.
InterAct Therapeutics is advancing AAV8-based gene therapies for metastatic cancer, initially targeting breast cancer-derived liver metastases. “Metastasis accounts for approximately 90% of cancer deaths, and there is a gaping therapeutic void for patients with BC-LM,” said Daniel Hargrove, Co-founder and CEO. Isaac Chan, MD, PhD, Co-founder and CSO, noted that Charles River’s support will help translate foundational discoveries into a liver-directed gene therapy for these patients.
Jaan Biotherapeutics, Inc., which is developing therapies aimed at triggering cardiac regeneration, plans to begin clinical testing of its lead program in 2027. “Jaan Biotherapeutics, Inc is honored to be selected to be part of CIP and we look forward to working with Charles River as we develop our treatments for patients that are at a high risk of death following an Acute Myocardial Infarction and other cardiac diseases,” said Dr. Bhawanjit Brar Ph.D., CEO, CSO and Founder.
Kopra Bio, a Y Combinator–backed startup, is building an in vivo tumor-editing platform initially targeting glioblastoma. “Kopra Bio’s in vivo tumor editing platform has already generated our first development candidate which we are advancing in an area of high unmet need, glioblastoma,” said Founder and CEO Andrew Bartynski, PhD. He added that the company looks forward to accelerating clinical development in partnership with Charles River.
The enabling technology participants include Grace, which is developing novel bioprocessing applications for its superparamagnetic silica technology in therapeutic-grade plasmid DNA production. “The incubator program provides a focused environment to fast-track our proof of concept for new applications in therapeutic-grade pDNA purification,” said Brenda Kelly, President of the Material Technologies business at Grace.
HTLab Biowerkli aims to improve AI-enabled biomanufacturing and data integration to support global biotechnology research. “Disconnected data slows science,” said Vitaly Podoplelov, CEO of HTLab AG. “We’re here to fix that by turning every data point into a decision point.”
Kristen Eisenhauer, Corporate Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Charles River, said the program’s ongoing success depends on supporting young companies through early development hurdles. “Through Charles River’s comprehensive concept-to-cure portfolio and guidance from proven industry leaders, participants are advancing their programs with confidence and speed,” she said.
Charles River said its cell and gene therapy portfolio integrates discovery, safety assessment, biologics testing and manufacturing capabilities to support the full lifecycle of advanced therapy development.
