Leiden, Netherlands

Comprehensive Discovery Services in Leiden

Founded in 1999 as a target discovery and validation site for Galapagos, the Leiden facility became part of Charles River Discovery (now part of IQVIA Laboratories) in 2014, enhancing the company’s integrated drug discovery capabilities. The site leverages human primary cells, stem cell-derived models, and organoids to develop complex cellular assays for evaluating small and large molecules, antibodies, antisense oligonucleotides, and cell and gene therapies.

Laboratory Details

Laboratories and Facilities

• Located in the Leiden Bio Science Park, the largest life sciences cluster in the Netherlands
• 20 minutes from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
• 2,432 m² / 26,178 ft²
• Biosafety level 1 and 2

Staff

• Approximately 100 scientific staff members
• Highly international team representing over 10 nationalities
• 40% hold PhDs; 60% hold MSc or BSc degrees

Service Areas/Study Types

• Human Safety NAMs
• Access to patient-derived (PD) tissues and clinical networks
• Stem cell-based assay development (hESC and iPSC-derived cells)
• Organoids
• Cell lines

Applications

• Target identification and validation
• Functional genomics (CRISPR/Cas9 and RNA interference)
• High-throughput phenotypic screening
• Mechanism-of-action studies
• In vitro Discovery efficacy and safety
• Mechanistic toxicology

Therapeutic modalities

• Small molecules
• Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO)
• Peptides and antibodies
• Cell therapies (CAR-T and CAR-NK)
• Gene therapy

Readouts

• High content imaging (HCI) and analysis (HCA)
• Gene expression analysis, including digital droplet PCR
• Protein expression analysis
• Flow cytometry (adenoviral, AAV, and lentivirus)
• Cell-based cytotoxicity analysis
• Cell painting

Disease areas of expertise include, but aren’t limited to:

• Neurology
• Huntington’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s
• Immunology
• Neutrophils, mast cells, basophils, T and B cells, dendritic cells, macrophages
• Oncology
• CAR-T safety, anchorage-independent growth
• Fibrosis
• Lung, skin, liver, and renal fibrosis
• Skin disease
• Psoriasis, dermatitis, scleroderma, wound healing
• Musculoskeletal disease
• Duchenne, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis
• Cardiovascular and metabolic disease
• Obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes, NASH
• Respiratory disease
• IPF, COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis
• Rare and orphan diseases

Compliance, Certifications, Accreditations, and Professional Affiliations

Charles River’s Leiden facility operates in compliance with the requirements of the following regulatory agencies or accredited organizations:

• MGL (MyGreenLab)
• GIVIMP