Charles River and Insightec announce strategic collaboration to advance therapeutic development utilizing focused ultrasound in neuroscience
Collaboration stands to advance novel therapeutic applications across multiple neurologic conditions
By OurCrowd Team
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) and Insightec, a global healthcare company dedicated to using focused ultrasound to transform patient care, today announced the launch of a five-year strategic collaboration to provide Charles River's clients access to a comprehensive global service and technology platform for the application of focused ultrasound (FUS) for drug discovery and preclinical development of therapeutics in neuroscience. Insightec's novel low-frequency ultrasound platform non-invasively disrupts the blood brain barrier, enabling drugs to be delivered to targeted brain areas. The procedure has generated positive clinical evidence across several neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and oncology indications, and holds promise for increasing efficacy of neurological drugs, to impact better health and outcomes for patients in the future.
"Our collaboration with Insightec represents a significant step forward in advancing neuroscience research," said Professor Julie Frearson, PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Charles River. "As we look toward the future of drug discovery, we recognize that technology will be a cornerstone of innovation. The integration of focused ultrasound technology into our preclinical services will enhance the precision and effectiveness of therapeutic delivery strategies, allowing us to refine our use of research models and support the discovery of novel medicines."
Collaboration in Neuroscience
Designed to meet the increasing demand to quickly advance therapeutic development and delivery of genetic medicines, biologics, and immunotherapies in multiple Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) preclinical models in neuroscience, the collaboration provides powerful CNS drug delivery for multiple drug types. Insightec's low-intensity focused ultrasound along with microbubble resonators noninvasively modulate the blood-brain barrier, allowing precise therapeutic delivery of a variety of drugs, including delivery to deep brain structures. Insightec's technology has the potential to revolutionize central nervous system (CNS) delivery for genetic medicines, biologics, and immunotherapies across a variety of tough-to-treat CNS diseases, including ones associated with neurodegeneration, neurodevelopment, and neuro-oncology.
"This partnership will not only expand the application of our low-frequency focused ultrasound technology, but also accelerate the development of groundbreaking therapies for neurological conditions," said Arjun Desai, M.D., Chief Strategic Innovation Officer of Insightec. "By combining our expertise, we aim to revolutionize the way next generation therapeutics are delivered and actuated in the brain, ultimately improving the lives of millions globally."