A contract research organization or a clinical research organization is a company that aids sponsor companies in conducting research. The research could involve anything from the preclinical development of new market products to post-marketing research activities. Typically, a CRO supports biotechnology, medical devices and pharmaceutical industries. They also support research institutes, universities, and foundations.

Read on to know everything about how contract research organizations function and the wide range of services offered by them.
What is a Contract Research Organization?

What is a Contract Research Organization?

A CRO or contract research organization aims at reducing costs for companies that develop new drugs and medicines in specifically targeted markets. They help companies simplify their entry into drug markets. Nowadays, the need for large pharmaceutical companies to do all their research and testing in-house is a thing of the past. A CRO assumes the role of an independent contractor with a sponsor to design, select, evaluate, monitor and prepare materials that need to be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or other government regulated authorities.

In addition, contract research organizations provide support for clinical trials and clinical studies. Most CROs range from small, niche groups to large international corporations. Being the first stop for toxicological or molecular pathology needs, clients such as academic institutions and other CROs contact them for special technologies or routine histology processing.

Factors to Consider While Hiring a CRO

A competent contract research organization or preclinical contract research organization is a reliable partner for the scientific or regulatory needs of companies. Typically, their work combines the core business of toxicological pathology along with other services such as:

1. Inhalation pathology
2. Bone marrow evaluations
3. Neuropathology
4. Necropsy
5. Histology
6. Routine and special histotechnology
7. Pathology in other laboratory species like fish and birds
8. Foetal and reproductive pathology
9. Image analysis
10. Histopathology and toxicologic pathology
11. Molecular pathology
12. Microscopy technologies

There are various important factors that organizations consider while enlisting the services of a CRO. Some of them are:

1. Patient interaction
2. Laboratory values interpretation
3. Conduction of physical assessments
4. Focus of expertise
5. Collaborating with other professionals and businesses
6. Handling multiple tasks simultaneously
7. Problem-solving abilities
8. Application of medical and scientific knowledge
9. Innovation in thinking
10. State-of-art infrastructure

Services Offered by Contract Research Laboratories

Contract research organizations provide a wide range of comprehensive services. Some of the services offered are listed below:

1. Data entry and validation
2. Project management
3. Reporting of metrics
4. Statistical analysis reports and plans
5. Safety Alliance
6. Quality assurance certification
7. Publications
8. Presentations
9. Professional training and education
10. Collaborations with other businesses/ professionals

In conclusion, the clients of contract research organizations benefit from the services provided in various research fields such as genetics, biomedical engineering, anatomy, toxicologic pathology, regulatory toxicology and much more. Independent, privately-owned CROs are spread all across the globe. Companies based in Europe can contact us for a CRO in Switzerland.