In this article, Charles River Senior Scientific Director Susan Y. Smith discusses the skeleton’s function in human physiology. "We lose weight: we lose bone; we build muscle: we build bone; we become diabetic: bones become fragile," wrote Smith. "Bone fragility and treating the consequences of fracture is a major public health concern costing millions of annual tax dollars, underscoring the need to ensure that nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals are safe or beneficial for the skeleton."

The Charles River Animal Welfare department has made recent strides in further integrating the 3Rs into our operations. Charles River representatives are acting as ambassadors within the industry to elevate the importance of animal welfare in laboratory animal research