Wistar Han Rat

The Wistar Han rat is a well-characterized outbred strain widely selected for regulatory toxicology and long-term safety assessment programs. Known for its robust health, controlled body weight gain, and consistent physiological performance, the Wistar Han rat supports clear data interpretation across chronic, carcinogenicity, and repeat dose studies.Compared with traditional Wistar strains, Wistar Han rats demonstrate improved survival and a reduced incidence of age-related spontaneous findings, helping minimize background pathology that can confound long-duration study outcomes. Their calm temperament and ease of handling further support efficient study conduct and reduced stress-related variability.Backed by decades of internal and published data and bred under Charles River’s International Genetic Standardization (IGS) program, the Wistar Han rat offers reliability, reproducibility, and global consistency for high confidence nonclinical research.GlaxoWellcome rederived the Wistar Han rat from Han Wistar stock originally supplied by BRL. The strain was transferred to Charles River UK in 1996, followed by transfer to Charles River in 1997, where it was rederived and established as an isolator maintained Foundation Colony.