Charles River Laboratories has signed a new agreement which grants Charles River commercial access to AstraZeneca’s high-throughput screening (HTS) and compound management infrastructure. Through the agreement, Charles River will perform HTS programs for its clients utilizing AstraZeneca’s state-of-the-art HTS facility.

“Providing our clients access to AstraZeneca’s HTS technology enhances our existing capabilities by broadening our assay platforms and increasing our ability to automate, ultimately allowing us to execute HTS projects with greater speed and accuracy,” said Ian Waddell, executive director, biology, Charles River

Charles River will place scientists-in-residence at AstraZeneca’s Centre for Lead Discovery in Cambridge, UK, to manage its compound collection and run HTS for clients with a comprehensive range of assay technologies, liquid handling platforms, and automated storage systems. The highly dynamic and brand-new compound management and HTS facility is equipped to provide efficient drug discovery screening services from assay conception to hit identification.

“We look forward to welcoming Charles River’s scientists to our state-of-the-art facilities in the UK Centre for Lead Discovery,” said Mark Wigglesworth, director high throughput screening at AstraZeneca’s IMED Biotech Unit. “This demonstrates AstraZeneca’s open and collaborative approach to drug discovery and further establishes the UK Centre for Lead Discovery as a leading global center for Hit Discovery.”

Charles River is debuting its enhanced HTS offering, which includes a recent expansion of its in-house compound library, during SLAS2018, the annual flagship conference for the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening being held February 3-7, 2018, in San Diego, CA.

“Through our longstanding relationship with AstraZeneca, we have developed and implemented best practices that allow us to complete studies more efficiently and effectively,” said Brian Bathgate, corporate senior vice president, European safety assessment, Charles River. “Access to AstraZeneca’s HTS technology is another collaboration that will enable us to continue to deliver groundbreaking science.”