Charles River And The Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute Announce Strategic Partnership

Partnership Intends to Accelerate Translation of Discoveries into Novel Therapies for Patients

WILMINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) today announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with The Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute (Tri-I TDI), intended to accelerate the development of therapeutics that arise from discoveries made in Tri-I TDI’s academic labs.

“Our new partnership will leverage Charles River’s drug discovery and safety assessment expertise with both Tri-I TDI’s research strengths and the cutting-edge work of their member institutions’ scientific leaders.”

Tri-I TDI is a cooperative endeavor of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, and Weill Cornell Medicine, with a focus on the early stages of compound and biologic agent development, as well as “proof of concept” studies that determine which drug candidates can successfully alter the course of a disease.

“This partnership reinforces Charles River’s continued commitment to expedite the early-stage development of innovative treatments and therapies for patients,” said Dr. Emily Hickey, Corporate Senior Vice President, Global Discovery Services, Charles River. “Our new partnership will leverage Charles River’s drug discovery and safety assessment expertise with both Tri-I TDI’s research strengths and the cutting-edge work of their member institutions’ scientific leaders.”

Through this partnership, Charles River will provide Tri-I TDI with discovery and safety assessment services to support a range of projects that are at the frontier of science. The collaboration will enhance Tri-I TDI’s efforts to more effectively develop therapeutics for unmet medical needs.

“Our partnership with Charles River opens up a new pathway to innovation for Tri-I TDI,” said Michael A. Foley, Chief Executive Officer, Tri-I TDI. “Its decades of experience in drug discovery and safety assessment, combined with a robust portfolio of services, will provide us with additional capabilities to rapidly advance our projects.”

About The Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute

The Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute (Tri-I TDI). Tri-I TDI is a partnership of three world-renowned scientific and medical institutions — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine. A novel partnership of academic institutions, the Tri-I TDI links researchers in basic and clinical science with experts in drug discovery from the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, with the goal of more efficiently translating discoveries into therapies for disease. Launched in 2013 in New York City the Tri-I TDI focuses on the early stages of developing compounds and biologic agents, and conducts “proof of concept” studies needed to demonstrate that drug candidates can successfully alter the course of a disease. To learn more, visit www.tritdi.org.

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.