Autobahn Labs Partners with Charles River to Boost Preclinical Therapeutics

Autobahn Labs, a virtual accelerator for academic biotech backed by Samsara BioCapital, and Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. today announced a collaborative relationship that positions Charles River as the preferred research partner to support Autobahn's expanding pipeline of early-stage, preclinical therapeutics programs. Through this partnership, Autobahn will have first access to Charles River's cutting-edge, industry-standard medication research and development capabilities. The collaboration aims to expedite the development of cutting-edge academic research into ground-breaking new treatments across a variety of therapeutic modalities and disease domains.

Charles River has invested in Autobahn Labs in accordance with the terms of the agreement, joining a financing round headed by Samsara BioCapital, the company's initial investor. Autobahn will be able to increase the number of relationships with elite academic institutions, accelerate lead preclinical initiatives, and find new options for medicines development using the proceeds from the fundraising and cooperation with Charles River. Along with the financing, Justin Bryans, Charles River's Chief Scientific Officer for Discovery, became a member of the Autobahn Board of Directors.

"I am excited to collaborate with the Autobahn Labs team on their preclinical therapeutics programs," stated Justin Bryans, Charles River's Chief Scientific Officer for Discovery. "We anticipate that by pooling our expertise, we will be able to advance drug discovery and development initiatives and eventually provide patients with essential therapeutics."

Brendan O'Leary, CEO of Autobahn Labs, stated, "We are excited for Charles River to join Samsara BioCapital as an investor and partner in Autobahn's mission to translate the best of academic biotech." Through the combination of Autobahn's deal sourcing and venture formation ability with Charles River's industry-leading drug discovery and development capabilities, we will be able to effectively de-risk academic research with high therapeutic promise, from innovative idea to preclinical drug candidate.