Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE: CRL) and Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp. (MVC) have entered a collaboration to characterize and validate the virus seed bank for MVC's next-generation multivalent enterovirus vaccine, according to a press release from Charles River.

Under the agreement, Charles River will apply its Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and biologics testing platforms to support Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) activities for the vaccine program. The companies also plan to conduct IND-enabling non-clinical studies and generate data to support Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for future global clinical development.

MVC's existing ENVACGEN® Enterovirus 71 Vaccine has received regulatory approval in Taiwan and Vietnam. The new collaboration targets a multivalent version intended to broaden the vaccine's coverage.

"We are excited to collaborate with MVC and apply our testing and NGS expertise for vaccine development," said Kerstin Dolph, Corporate Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing at Charles River.

Leo Lee, CEO of Medigen Vaccine Biologics, said the collaboration is aimed at aligning with international regulatory expectations from early in the development process. "We are pleased to collaborate strategically with Charles River and leverage its expertise in NGS and biologics testing to establish a high-quality vaccine development process," Lee said.

The two companies said they plan to explore additional vaccine programs beyond the current enterovirus collaboration. Charles River previously acquired Pathoquest, a company focused on NGS solutions for biopharmaceutical quality control testing, to expand its sequencing capabilities.