Neuroscience Discovery and Pharmacology Expertise

Located in a global hub for neuroscience research, Charles River’s Kuopio site delivers specialized non-GLP in vitro and in vivo pharmacology services. Originally founded as Cerebricon in 2001 and acquired by Charles River in 2009, the facility supports comprehensive preclinical studies with advanced imaging, behavioral testing, and molecular biology capabilities. In 2025, the Kuopio team moved to a new facility, expanding research space by 40% to provide translational pharmacology services across multiple therapeutic areas and modalities. Expansion enabled more sophisticated study designs and laboratory conditions required by, for example, cell and gene therapy studies and studies requiring broader applications in nuclear imaging and radioisotope use in vivo and in vitro.

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Laboratories and Facilities

  • Over 50,000 square-foot AAALAC accredited laboratory with 24-hour surveillance and environmental monitoring
  • Small animal imaging core facilities (magnetic resonance, nuclear imaging and functional ultrasound)
  • Behavioral and physiological testing laboratories
  • Wet labs for molecular, histological/immunohistochemical, and biomarker analysis
  • Cell culture facility
  • 23,000 square feet of vivarium space with temperature, humidity and light control, including:
    • Surgical suites
    • Housing rooms for mice and rats (IVC housing)
    • Quarantine rooms
    • Lead-shielded room for radioactive studies
    • BSL-2 biosafety rooms
    • Barrier-like facilities for small scale breeding studies
    • Necropsy and sample collection rooms
  • Collaborative workspaces for interdisciplinary research teams
Staff
  • Approximately 115 full-time employees (with 43% of scientific staff possessing advanced degrees, including MSc and PhD), including 16 PhD scientists, 32 MSc scientists, and 1 designated veterinarian

Service Areas/Study Types

  • Imaging capabilities:
    • Dedicated small animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit with 11.7T magnet
    • Radiochemistry laboratory for molecular imaging using PET-CT and SPECT-CT, including in-house radiolabeling, whole-body nuclear imaging, and radioligand binding studies
      • Capabilities include dynamic PET imaging with arterial input function (AIF)
    • Access to cyclotron to support custom radioligands
    • Functional Ultrasound (fUS) for neuronal activity and vascular imaging
  • In vitro/ex vivo assay capabilities:
    • Screening studies using primary neuronal, glial, and glia-neuronal mixed cultures
    • Molecular analysis using qPCR, QuantiGene, ELISA, Luminex, EIA, Western blot, flow cytometry, autoradiography, and in situ hybridization
    • Stem cell handling, processing and viability measurements
    • Ex vivo binding assays (hot and cold ligands)
    • Histology/Immunohistochemistry laboratories with paraffin and cryo-sectioning, staining, imaging, stereological counting, and complete data analysis
  • In vivo capabilities for rodents (rat and mouse models):
    • Neuroscience, metabolic, muscular and oncological animal models
    • Purpose-built animal holding facilities (including BSL-2 and barrier-like)
    • Surgical laboratories with stereotactic manipulation, cannulation and implantation capabilities
    • Behavioral testing laboratories
      • Sensory and motor performance (including kinematic motion analysis)
      • Advanced cognitive testing
      • Home cage monitoring and phenotyping
    • Electrophysiology capabilities using telemetry recordings (EEG, EMG, ECG, etc.), compound muscle action potential (CMAP), sensory nerve action potential (SNAP), and nerve conductance velocity (NVC)

Certifications

Charles River’s Kuopio facility operates in compliance with the following regulatory agencies and accredited organizations:

  • Finnish Medicines Agency (FIMEA)
  • National Animal Experiment Board
  • Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (Category B Laboratory)
  • National board for Gene Technologies
  • Staff training for functions A, C, and D of Directive 2010/63/EU, Article 23
  • AAALAC accreditation since 2014

Humane Care Initiative

Charles River is committed to the humane care of laboratory animals. The Kuopio facility collaborates closely with the scientific community to optimize living conditions, handling procedures, and minimize stress, ensuring research quality and animal welfare are upheld to the highest standards.

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