Charles River Laboratories International has launched a full, end-to-end service offering of CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering technology. Through a licensing arrangement with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Charles River can now offer custom in vivo and in vitrogenome editing. With this technology, Charles River will be able to develop more translational research models that will ultimately improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the drug discovery process.

“Utilizing the CRISPR/Cas9 platform, Charles River clients can work with a single provider for both the in vivo and in vitro phases of their research,” said Dr. Iva Morse, corporate vice president, chief scientific officer, Global Research Models and Services. “Working with us, clients can generate custom cell lines for early, exploratory discovery research, as well as generate in vivo pharmacology models, produce those models, and then use our Discovery Services offering to place those models in in vivo studies.”

Charles River has developed partnerships with three key groups globally for in vivo model creation services. In North America, the company is partnering with Mirimus, a leader in RNA interference technology specializing in the creation of customized genetically engineered mouse models. In Japan, Charles River is partnering with the Laboratory Animal Resource Center, University of Tsukuba, one of the country’s largest production institutes for genetically modified mice. In Europe, the company is aligned with Phenomin ICS, formerly the Institut Clinique de la Souris, a leader in mouse and rat creation and phenotyping and a key player in different strategic phenogenomics efforts, like the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium.