Citoxlab signs investment and partnership deal with oncology CRO

Contract research organisation (CRO) for non-clinical research, Citoxlab, has signed an investment and partnership deal with Experimental Pharmacology and Oncology Berlin-Buch (EPO).

EPO provides in vitro and in vivo testing of drug candidates with antitumoural and/or immunostimulatory activities within the oncology field. In particular it offers a comprehensive range of well characterised syngeneic tumour models, Patient Derived Xenograft (PDX) models and humanized tumour models.

“We are particularly happy that EPO’s management agreed to our investment proposal,” commented Dr Jean-François Le Bigot, president and CEO of Citoxlab Group. “Its scientific reputation and the reliability of its studies are widely recognised in the oncology community. More than 40% of the new drugs under development target cancer. Offering an integrated services portfolio which includes pharmacology alongside drug safety, pharmacokinetics and bioanalysis/biomarkers will allow Citoxlab-EPO’s clients to save time and money and avoid the risks linked to moving from one CRO to another. Several key clients have already told us that this integrated-services offering perfectly meets their needs. For biotechnology companies, financial milestones are often linked to reaching specific development steps, so integrated operations optimising time spent can be a strategic advantage.”

“As the founders and main shareholders, Dr Iduna Fichner, Prof. Wolfgang Walther, CSO, and myself have carefully analysed Citoxlab’s interest in our company, with our long-term development in mind,” added Dr Jens Hoffman, CEO of EPO. “As one of the top five non-clinical CROs worldwide, Citoxlab has established long-lasting business relationships with hundreds of customers. In addition, as a science driven CRO, Citoxlab has developed specialties in disciplines such as immunohistochemistry, cell cytometry and genomics, which are key in our area of research. We believe that these scientific synergies, combined with Citoxlab’s strong business development dynamics, will benefit both us and our clients. I must add that the respect for the culture and management in their previous acquisitions shown by Citoxlab was important in choosing this strategic partnership, where Citoxlab will own 49% of EPO.”