Huntingdon Life Sciences facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Huntingdon Life Sciences

Industry	Contract research organisation for the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, crop protection, chemical, veterinary and food industries.
Founded	1951
Number of locations	United Kingdom, United States, Japan
Area served	Global
Key people	Brian Cass, Formerly Managing Director
Number of employees	>1,600

Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) was a company that helped other businesses with their research. It was started in 1951 in England. HLS had two labs in the United Kingdom and one in the United States. It was a very large company, with over 1,600 employees. Until 2015, it was the biggest company of its kind in Europe that did not work directly with patients.

In September 2015, Huntingdon Life Sciences joined with several other companies, including Harlan Laboratories. They all became one new company called Envigo. Later, Envigo sold off the part that did research for other companies.

HLS was the third-largest company of its type in the world. It became well-known because of a lot of public attention about its work with animals.

Where HLS Labs Were Located

HLS had several important locations around the world.

• Two labs were in the UK: one in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, and another in Eye, Suffolk.
• One lab was in the USA: in East Millstone, New Jersey.
• There was also an office in Tokyo, Japan.

The Story of Huntingdon Life Sciences

Huntingdon Life Sciences started in the UK in 1951. It was first called Nutrition Research Co. Ltd.

• The company first focused on studying nutrition, animal health, and how chemicals work in living things.
• Its main offices were in Huntingdon, UK, and its labs were nearby.
• Later, the company started working with medicines, food additives, and chemicals used in homes and factories.
• In 1959, its name changed to Nutritional Research Unit Ltd.

In the early 1960s, governments started requiring more tests for new medicines. This helped the company grow a lot. In 1964, a US medical supply company called Becton Dickinson bought it.

Growing and Changing Names

In 1983, Becton Dickinson created Huntingdon Research Centre PLC. They sold parts of the company to other investors.

• In 1985, the company changed its name to Huntingdon International Holdings plc.
• It also started a new company in the United States called Huntingdon Analytical Services Inc.

Huntingdon grew by buying other testing companies in the US. It also started working in engineering and environmental services.

• By the early 1990s, Huntingdon had three main parts: Life Sciences, Engineering/Environmental, and Travers Morgan.
• However, only the Life Sciences part seemed to have a good future.
• So, in 1995, the company sold its engineering and environmental businesses.

To make its life sciences business stronger, Huntingdon bought another toxicology company in 1995. This deal included a lab near Princeton, New Jersey, and two labs in Britain.

• In 1997, Huntingdon International Holdings changed its name again to Huntingdon Life Sciences Group.
• The UK part became Huntingdon Life Sciences Ltd., and the US part was Huntingdon Life Sciences Inc.
• In 2002, HLS moved its financial base to the United States.
• In 2009, HLS was bought completely by private owners.

What HLS Did

HLS provided services to other companies, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. This means they helped test new medicines before they were given to people.

• They focused on checking the safety of new products.
• More than a third of their work was for non-medicine companies.
• A big part of this non-medicine work was for companies that make products to protect crops.

How Many People Worked There

In 2008, HLS had more than 1,600 employees across all its locations. Here is a breakdown of staff numbers:

Organizations HLS Worked With

HLS was part of several important groups and associations. These groups help set standards and share knowledge in the industry.

• Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)
• Bioindustry Association (BIA)
• Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC)
• Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)
• Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME)
• Institute of Animal Technology (IAT)
• Understanding Animal Research (UAR)

Awards HLS Received

HLS was recognized for its work with some awards:

• Agrow Awards Best Supporting Role in 2007.
• Queens Award for Export Achievement in 1982.

Use of Animals in Research

HLS used animals in the research it did for its clients. This research helps to make sure new products are safe.

• In the UK, about 60,000 animals were used each year.
• Here is a list of the types of animals used and how much they were used:

See also

In Spanish: Huntingdon Life Sciences para niños