Clinical research carries significant risks and numerous obstacles that must be overcome to achieve success. Identifying the ideal Contract Research Organization (CRO) to partner with is a critical component of this journey. Exceptional CRO partners must exhibit scientific expertise, offer technical capabilities, handle complex sample management, and consistently deliver high-quality results. Yet, one crucial aspect remains often overlooked: the human relationships.
For those who value open and trustworthy collaboration, flexibility, and agility in their bioanalytical partner, a human-sized organization that can maintain these qualities while expanding its international presence is a rare find. What are the benefits arising from international expansion and the challenges faced in maintaining core values and strengths in a fast-growing company?
The Benefits of International Expansion
Streamlined Sample Management: KCAS’s strategic locations in Europe and the US enable the streamlining of the bioanalysis process, accelerating clinical trial timelines, and efficiently handling and processing samples (whole blood, plasma, PBMCs) from diverse sources. Clients benefit from the organization’s commitment to guiding them through the sampling process, ensuring optimal results. Adherence to strict protocols, highly trained personnel, state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge equipment, and the right standard operating procedures (SOPs) make these locations ideal for sample processing.
Broad Expertise, Comprehensive Technology Offerings, and Tailored Assay Solutions: Access to fit-for-purpose technologies is essential for clients in an industry where technology and expertise are crucial. Our investments in cutting-edge LBA platforms, Flow Cytometry, ELISpot, LC-MS/MS, and molecular biology technologies enable KCAS to offer comprehensive assay solutions, such as ADA, pharmacokinetics, and biomarker packages, covering multiple services. Integrated scientific expertise across various therapeutic areas and unique specializations in locations like Kansas City, Phialdelphia, Milan and Lyon allow clients to receive solutions specifically tailored to their project needs.
Capacity, Speed, and Support for Late-Stage Clinical Trials: Late-stage clinical trials require efficient result delivery without compromising quality. Thanks to increased capacity and employing efficient methodologies and processes across the Atlantic, the team can ensure that high-volume projects are managed efficiently, meeting clients’ needs in a timely manner.
Consistent Systems Across Sites: Clients seeking uniform results across locations require a harmonization strategy that encompasses eQMS, QA systems, SOPs and Watson LIMS. This ensures that key assays and other procedures are consistent, regardless of the site, allowing clients to trust the quality and reliability of the results in international clinical trials.
Preserving Core Values Even as We Grow
As KCAS continues to expand, maintaining core values like transparent communication, flexibility, and nimbleness becomes a complex balancing act. Indeed, expansion risks hindering the agility that characterizes the US and European locations, demanding solutions to preserve its identity.
The Human-to-Human Interaction: The most important challenge during growth is maintaining the human aspect and excellent customer service. Having a principal investigator seamlessly and efficiently plug into your project, understanding your challenges, provide timely communication and committed to efficiently delivering the most appropriate solutions is essential to advance your project from early preclinical development to late-phase clinical stage. This in combination with a highly trained scientific staff with tailored problem-solving experience elevates the partnership, transforming it into a truly collaborative, supportive endeavor.
Maintaining Nimbleness and Flexibility: In the context of shorter lead times and tailored on-time/budget solutions, preserving nimbleness is crucial. Ensuring that projects move forward expeditiously becomes a daunting task, one that requires constant attention and recalibration. Success in this arena is achieved through seamless communication, efficient decision-making, as well as swift and well-organized execution.
Retain our most valuable asset, our people: All this relies on a human resources policy oriented towards work-life balance, long-term engagement, retaining talents, leveraging and developing employees’ skills. Limiting staff turn-over contributes to keeping intangible knowledge, based on personal stories, previous experience, and skills, but also ensuring our clients a long-term relationship with its preferred intermediary.
Key Takeaways
Adapting and growing while staying true to core values is crucial in the evolving clinical research landscape. If a combination of engagement, experience and skills in key therapeutic areas, technologies, methodologies, and workflows is important to your organization, consider our team as a partner of choice. As a pioneer in the field of bioanalysis our company has a proven track-record with world-leading pharma and biotech companies and has tailored its processes and team to manage complex clinical trial programs. In 2022, the company brought over 95,000 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratory space in the US alone, carefully designed to strengthen its position as a premier service provider. This expansion not only enhances the CRO’s capabilities but also demonstrates its dedication to meeting the changing needs of the industry.
If you have any questions about the benefits KCAS offers via their multiple US and European locations, use the form below!