Singapore General Hospital (SGH) has entered into an agreement with pharmaceutical company Charles River Laboratories to advance cancer treatment.

The agreement supports CGMP-compliant master cell banking (MCB) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) services for cell line characterisation.

SGH will process cord blood to develop and produce allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells designed for cancer treatment.

Charles River corporate senior vice president of global manufacturing Kerstin Dolph said: “We are thrilled to leverage our cell line characterisation services and comprehensive NGS testing approach to support SGH as they work to develop novel therapeutics for cancer patients.

“According to the World Health Organisation, one in five individuals will develop cancer in their lifetime, so utilising our decades of experience to help advance novel cancer research is aligned with our corporate values and goals.”

SGH will employ Charles River's CGMP MCB services to secure critical starting material for its cord blood-derived allogeneic CAR T-cells.

Additionally, NGS-based testing services will be used for cell line characterisation in the hospital’s upcoming Phase I clinical trials.

Charles River said that NGS is a pivotal technology in the characterisation and testing of advanced therapeutics.

Dolph added: “As part of the cell characterisation agreement, SGH will have access to Charles River’s CGMP NGS services, significantly increasing the capability of detecting viral contaminations in cell banks, providing a faster, more efficient, and reliable testing option compared to animal-based testing, and addressing their dynamic needs.”

Charles River's CGMP-compliant NGS testing services are designed to expedite development timelines while maintaining safety and meeting stringent regulatory requirements.

These services comply with global standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency, Good Manufacturing Practice and International Council for Harmonisation guidelines Q5A and Q5B, ensuring accuracy, reliability, and adherence to good manufacturing practices.

With a wealth of experience in cell banking and cell line characterisation, Charles River provides a range of CGMP-compliant cell bank production and storage services.

Charles River provides CGMP-compliant cell bank production and storage, featuring nine ISO-6 cleanroom suites and an eight–ten week turnaround.

With over 2,000 cell and viral banks produced, it supports clients from R&D to commercial manufacturing.

In December 2024, SGH entered a partnership with Royal Philips to establish a magnetic resonance imaging training centre in Singapore.

Founded in 1821, SGH is said to be the country’s largest tertiary hospital.