Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. announced today that it has decided to suspend operations at its Preclinical Services (PCS) facility in Shrewsbury, MA, by the middle of 2010, when ongoing in-life studies will have been completed.

As part of our infectious disease PCR testing, we now offer a TaqMan® PCR assay to detect two species of pinworm, Syphacia oblevata and Aspiculuris tetraptera, enabling us to detect a pinworm infection even in the absence of visible eggs or organisms.

As part of our commitment to providing products that enable fast, reliable and accurate test results, we are pleased to announce the release of our 2010 Endotoxin and Microbial Detection Products and Services catalog, titled “Innovative Technologies for Improved Efficiency.”

Building on our experience in the field of photobiology, Charles River now offers the 3T3 Neutral Red Uptake (NRU) in vitro photoirritation test for the screening of multiple test articles, reducing resource allocation, time and overall costs.