Charles River to close cell therapy CDMO site in Maryland

Charles River Laboratories will close its cell therapy CDMO site in Hanover, Maryland, eliminating 20 positions.

The layoffs, revealed in a state WARN notice, are part of an ongoing restructuring that began in late 2025 when the company announced plans to terminate nearly 70 workers from its Wilmington, Massachusetts headquarters as it moves part of its operations to other facilities. 

Charles River purchased the Hanover, Maryland cell therapy site in 2021 as part of its $875 million acquisition of Cognate BioServices, along with gene therapy CDMO providers Vigene Biosciences and Cobra Biologics. 

The company told media sources that the Hanover plant is “no longer a strategic fit.”