MIR Preclinical Services (MIR) is a contract research organization (CRO) located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It provides services to pharma and biotech clients in support of drug discovery using a variety of advanced imaging techniques.
MIR Preclinical Services was acquired in September 2008 for about $12.5 million in cash by publicly-traded pharmacology services company Charles River Laboratories (NYSE: CRL) in Massachusetts.
Dick Leopold, CEO of MIR Preclinical Services, founded the cancer drug discovery program at Parke-Davis and stayed in that role until Pfizer terminated its oncology research in 2003.
Sources
The new company — legally called MIR Acquisition Inc., but doing business as Molecular Imaging Research — announced this morning that it had acquired imaging equipment from Charles River and attracted $7 million in venture capital to rebuild the company. Charles River did not retain an equity stake in the new company.
- XCONOMY: Charles River Labs announces closing of 30-employee facility in Ann Arbor area, AnnArbor.com, November 2010
The Massachusetts-based Charles River Laboratories Intl. [NYSE:CRL] announced plans to lay off 4 percent of its global workforce and close its Ann Arbor-area molecular imaging facility, according to an article in Xconomy.
- Pharma outsourcing benefits Ann Arbor firms, Michigan Business Review, May 2008.
- Charles River acquires MIR Preclinical Services, press release, 15 September 2008
