Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. has announced the successful completion of its acquisition of PathoQuest, a specialist in next generation sequencing based biosafety testing solutions. The integration significantly expands Charles River’s capabilities in GMP compliant next generation sequencing to support biosafety testing, characterisation, and quality control across advanced therapeutic modalities.

With this addition, Charles River is positioned to deliver more comprehensive, high sensitivity viral safety and adventitious agent detection services. The enhanced platform supports biopharma innovators at every stage of development, from early research through to commercial manufacturing, enabling faster and more confident decision making.

The incorporation of PathoQuest’s expertise strengthens Charles River’s ability to address increasing regulatory expectations for advanced analytical methods in biologics, cell and gene therapies, and vaccine development. Next generation sequencing is emerging as a critical tool for ensuring product safety, improving detection accuracy, and streamlining testing workflows.

A spokesperson from Charles River Laboratories said, “The completion of the PathoQuest acquisition marks an important step in advancing our scientific capabilities in next generation sequencing. By integrating these technologies into our global portfolio, we are enhancing our ability to support customers with robust, compliant, and scalable biosafety solutions.”

The combined offering enables clients to leverage advanced genomic tools alongside Charles River’s established global testing infrastructure. This integration is expected to improve turnaround times, increase analytical depth, and support more efficient regulatory submissions.

Charles River also welcomed the PathoQuest team, highlighting the value of their scientific expertise and innovation in strengthening the organisation’s global capabilities.

The expanded next generation sequencing services will support a broad range of applications including viral safety testing, contamination detection, and product characterisation, reinforcing Charles River’s commitment to enabling the development and delivery of safe, high quality therapies worldwide.