The Rainwater Charitable Foundation Announces Partnership With Charles River Laboratories

Partnership to Accelerate Translation of Discoveries into Novel Therapies for Patients with Tauopathies

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Mar 17, 2021, 08:00 ET

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rainwater Charitable Foundation (RCF), one of the largest independent funders of neurodegenerative disease research, today announced a partnership with Charles River Laboratories to accelerate the development of treatments that arise from discoveries made in academic labs sponsored by RCF.

The partnership will initially support an integrated drug discovery program between RCF's Tau Consortium, Charles River and Dr. Matthew Disney from Scripps Research to develop a brain penetrant 4R tau mRNA splicing modulator for the treatment of primary tauopathies. The program builds on initial discoveries made by Dr. Disney, who has developed tools and techniques that enable the design of drug-like compounds that bind, and destroy or repair, defective non-coding RNA. With support from RCF and others, Dr. Disney has discovered compounds that bind and rescue defective tau pre-mRNA involved in the formation of the neurofibrillary tangles that has been linked to tauopathies such as Alzheimer's Disease, Frontal Temporal Dementias and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Building on these compounds as starting points, in continued collaboration with the Disney lab at Scripps, Charles River scientists will provide RCF and Scripps with drug discovery and safety assessment services and expertise. Funding for this program is provided by RCF under the Tau Consortium and its Tau Pipeline Enabling Program (T-PEP), a partnership between RCF and the Alzheimer's Association.

"This partnership is a significant step forward in bringing potential treatments closer to the clinic for patients suffering from tauopathies, and therefore closing the gap between drug candidates and the cutting-edge research that can help them," said Leticia Toledo-Sherman, Ph.D., Senior Director of Drug Discovery for the Tau Consortium at the Rainwater Charitable Foundation. "Given the difficulties in developing therapies for these complex disorders, the impressive track record of Charles River in drug discovery and development – including delivery of several clinical-stage molecules in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's Disease to their clients – was a key driver in creating this partnership."

"We are excited to work with the RCF," said Wilbert Frieling, Corporate Senior Vice President, Global Discovery Services, Charles River. "This research is focused on an area of unmet medical need, and it builds upon the biology, medicinal chemistry and biophysical expertise Charles River has gained through experience in small molecule programs targeting mRNA, including in Huntington's disease."

"Academic research serves as an engine of ideas and innovation. To advance academic discoveries into the clinic, partnerships between nonprofit and corporate organizations are needed. We applaud the Rainwater Charitable Foundation for its vision and leadership in this area," said Scripps Research President and CEO Peter Schultz, PhD. "We are grateful for the financial support from the Rainwater Charitable Foundation and to be working with the Charles River team," adds Dr. Disney at Scripps Research. "Rainwater's commitment to an integrated drug discovery model will make a key difference in producing the breakthrough that people affected by tau-related illnesses need."

"The Alzheimer's Association's collaboration with the Rainwater Charitable Foundation supports important research investigating ways to target abnormal tau, a toxic brain protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer's, Frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia and over 20 other brain diseases," said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association chief science officer. "We are excited to leverage this new partnership with Charles River Labs to further advance this promising field of drug research and enrich the pipeline for possible treatments, bringing us closer to more effective therapies, and even prevention strategies for these diseases."

About the Rainwater Charitable Foundation
The Rainwater Charitable Foundation (RCF) was created in the early 1990s by renowned private equity investor and philanthropist Richard E. Rainwater. RCF supports a range of programs in K-12 education, medical research, and other worthy causes. In order to deliver on its mission to accelerate the development of new diagnostics and treatments for tau-related neurodegenerative disorders, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation Medical Research team manages the Tau Consortium and the Rainwater Prize Program. With over $100 million invested to date, the Rainwater Foundation has helped to advance eight treatments into human trials. For more information, please visit http://rainwatercharitablefoundation.org/, www.rainwaterprize.org, and https://tauconsortium.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.

About Scripps Research
Scripps Research is an independent, nonprofit biomedical institute ranked the most influential in the world for its impact on innovation. With campuses in La Jolla, California, and Jupiter, Florida, the institute is advancing human health through profound discoveries that address pressing medical concerns around the globe. The Scripps Research drug discovery and development division, Calibr, works hand-in-hand with scientists across disciplines to bring new medicines to patients as quickly and efficiently as possible, while teams at Scripps Research Translational Institute harness genomics, digital medicine, and cutting-edge informatics to understand individual health and render more effective healthcare. Scripps Research also trains the next generation of leading scientists at its Skaggs Graduate School, consistently named among the top 10 U.S. programs for chemistry and biological sciences. Learn more at www.scripps.edu.

About Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support, and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's. For more information, visit the Alzheimer's Association at alz.org or call the 24/7 helpline at 800-272-3900.

Leticia Toledo-Sherman, PhD
Senior Director of Drug Discovery for the Tau Consortium
Rainwater Charitable Foundation
[email protected]
Direct: (310) 795-3235

SOURCE The Rainwater Charitable Foundation