Investor Relations

WILMINGTON, Mass. and AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2006--Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE:CRL) (Charles River), a global provider of solutions that advance the drug discovery and development process, and Luminex Corporation (NASDAQ: LMNX) today announced that they have entered into a licensing agreement whereby Charles River will utilize Luminex's xMAP(R) technology within Charles River's Research Models and Services business segment.

The Luminex xMAP technology enables multiple assays to be performed in a single well, or multiplexed, utilizing suspended microspheres or beads. Up to 100 different simultaneous assays can be performed in a single microtiter well, both rapidly and precisely. Charles River's Research Animal Diagnostic Services division will use the technology to create the Multiplexed Fluorometric ImmunoAssay (MFIA), which will be adopted as the platform for screening laboratory animal serum samples for infectious disease.

William Barbo, Charles River Laboratories Corporate Vice President, Research Model Services, said, "Charles River is pleased to join Luminex in this licensing agreement. The use of Luminex's xMAP technology in the form of MFIA will allow us the flexibility to further refine and expand our assays, delivering unparalleled products and services in the area of laboratory animal diagnostics."

Russell Bradley, Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning, Luminex Corporation, said, "We are pleased Charles River Laboratories has selected our xMAP technology as their multiplex platform of choice for the standardization of animal diagnostic assays. As a market leader, Charles River Laboratories joins a growing team of Luminex partners bringing the benefits of Luminex's bead based multiplexing to their customers."

About Charles River Laboratories

Charles River Laboratories, based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, U.S., is a global provider of solutions that advance the drug discovery and development process. Our leading-edge products and services are designed to enable our clients to bring drugs to market faster and more efficiently. Backed by our rigorous, best-in-class procedures and our proven data collection, analysis and reporting capabilities, our products and services are organized into three categories spanning every step of the drug development pipeline: Research Models and Services, Preclinical Services, and Clinical Services. Charles River's customer base includes all of the major pharmaceutical companies and many biotechnology companies, government agencies and leading hospitals and academic institutions. Charles River's 8,400 employees serve clients in more than 50 countries. For more information on Charles River, visit our website at www.criver.com.

About Luminex(R) Corporation

Luminex Corporation develops, manufactures and markets proprietary biological testing technologies with applications throughout the life sciences industry. The Company's xMAP system is an open-architecture, multi-analyte technology platform that delivers fast, accurate and cost-effective bioassay results to markets as diverse as pharmaceutical drug discovery, clinical diagnostics and biomedical research, including the genomics and proteomics research markets. The Company's xMAP technology is sold worldwide and is in use in leading research laboratories as well as major pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology companies. Luminex's xMAP technology received the 2005 Clinical Diagnostics Technology of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan. Further information on Luminex Corporation or xMAP can be obtained on the Internet at http://www.luminexcorp.com or you may contact Harriss T. Currie, Chief Financial Officer of Luminex Corporation, +1-512-219-8020.

CONTACT: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.
Elizabeth Ferber, 978-658-6000 ext. 1693
F: 978-658-7841
corpcomm@crl.com

SOURCE: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.