Overview
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. is a global life-sciences services company that supports drug discovery and development, providing research models and related services, discovery research, non-clinical safety assessment, and manufacturing support. Its stated mission is “to create healthier lives.” [1]
The company reported $4.0 billion in revenue for fiscal 2025 and operates more than 120 sites in over 20 countries, serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic research organizations.[2] Its research-model business traces its origins to 1947.[3] [1][2][3]
Products & services
Charles River’s Research Models and Services portfolio includes purpose-bred small research models—such as inbred, outbred and hybrid rodents, mutant, genetically engineered and humanized models—and supplies large research models. Services include colony management, research staffing and training through Insourcing Solutions; contract breeding and genetically engineered model services through GEMS; and animal health monitoring and diagnostics through RADS. CRADL™ provides vivarium space for research.[3][4][5][6]
Discovery and Safety Assessment services support drug discovery and development for small molecules, biologics, oligonucleotides, and cell and gene therapies. Discovery capabilities include target identification and validation, hit-to-lead work, lead optimization, computer-aided drug design, structural biology, cell painting, and machine-learning and AI approaches. Safety services include regulated and non-regulated in vitro, in vivo and in silico studies, GLP and non-GLP toxicology, pathology, safety pharmacology, bioanalysis, pharmacokinetics, consulting and program management.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
Manufacturing Solutions includes Microbial Solutions and Biologics Testing Solutions. Named microbial-control products and services include Endosafe® endotoxin tests, Celsis® ATP-bioluminescence microbial-detection systems and reagents, and Accugenix® microbial identification and strain-typing services. Endosafe formats include the handheld PTS™, multi-cartridge MCS™, automated Nexus, and Trillium® animal-free recombinant cascade reagent. The 2026 second-quarter filing reflects the sale of certain European Discovery Services businesses and the CDMO business in May 2026.[18][19][20][21][22][23]
For FY2025, revenue was approximately 21.1% from Research Models and Services, 59.8% from Discovery and Safety Assessment, and 19.1% from Manufacturing Solutions; these are segment-level shares, not percentages for individual products or service lines.[24] [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][24][24]
Geographic presence
Charles River Laboratories operates more than 120 sites in over 20 countries worldwide, excluding certain Insourcing Solutions sites. Its listed locations include facilities in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.[2][25]
The company is headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts. Company material published in 2024 reported more than 21,000 employees across facilities in 21 countries, but did not provide a regional employee breakdown.[26][27] [2][25][26][27][25][27]
Business segments
Charles River Laboratories reported three operating segments for FY2025, the latest completed fiscal year available as of October 2, 2026. Research Models and Services (RMS) generated $846.1 million, approximately 21.1% of total revenue; it includes research models and related support services, genetically engineered model services, diagnostics, and cell products [28][29]. Discovery and Safety Assessment (DSA) generated $2,402.9 million, approximately 59.8%; its activities include regulated and non-regulated discovery and safety assessment, in-vitro and in-vivo studies, bioanalytical laboratory support, and non-clinical consulting and program management [30][29]. [28][30][29]
Company history
Charles River Laboratories was founded in Boston in 1947 by veterinarian Henry Foster as a breeder and supplier of research rats. It moved its headquarters to Wilmington, Massachusetts, in 1952 and introduced Caesarean-Originated, Barrier-Sustained (COBS®) animals in 1956. The company first went public in 1968, was acquired by Bausch & Lomb in 1984, and was bought back by Jim Foster and the management team in 1999.[31]
Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. was incorporated in 1994 and completed an initial public offering in 2000. It expanded into preclinical and drug-development services through acquisitions including Sierra Biomedical (1999), Pathology Associates International (2001), Inveresk (2004), Galapagos’ CRO services division (2014), and WIL Research (2016).[26][31][32][33][34][35]
Further acquisitions broadened its safety-assessment and cell- and gene-therapy-related capabilities, including MPI Research (2018), Citoxlab (2019), HemaCare (2020), and Cognate BioServices (2021). In 2023, it increased its ownership of Noveprim to 90%. In 2026, Birgit Girshick succeeded James C. Foster as CEO, following Foster’s retirement.[36][37][38][39][40][41] [26][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41]
Sources
- CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. — Full financial report (2025 Y)
- CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. — Full financial report (2026 Q 2)[12][18]
- www.criver.com[25]
- www.criver.com[27]
- ir.criver.com[29]
- www.criver.com[31]
- ir.criver.com[32]
- www.sec.gov[33]
- ir.criver.com[34]
- ir.criver.com[35]
- www.criver.com[36]
- www.criver.com[37]
- ir.criver.com[38]
- www.criver.com[39]
- ir.criver.com[40]
- ir.criver.com[41]
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