A contract research organization (CRO) is an organization hired by another company to take the lead in managing trials and that company's complex responsibilities for complex medical testing. A CRO acts as a bridge between the sponsor, the person who contracts the services, and the rest of the actors participating in the clinical trial. These types of organizations may differ from other CROs that might provide services outside the scope of clinical trials. A clinical research organization, on the other hand, is a type of CRO that focuses specifically on conducting clinical trials, research studies that involve testing a new treatment, drug, or medical device on humans to determine its safety and effectiveness. Working with a CRO can be an effective and efficient option if you're working to bring a product to market, but you're not sure if you want to bear the financial costs of building a full research team, as well as acquiring the equipment and facilities necessary to carry out the tasks related to your clinical trials in-house.
This means that depending on your needs, you can find a small, specialized group or a larger, full-service organization that can handle all aspects of conducting research and clinical trials. Contract research organizations have a variety of professionals with experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. If you need to outsource research and development activities to save time and money, a hired researcher can, depending on the fees charged by the organization, provide cost-effective support to R&D, allowing your team to focus on other tasks. Just like when working with a contract manufacturing organization (CMO), working with a contract research organization has several advantages and disadvantages. From large international firms to smaller niche companies, clinical research organizations are trusted by organizations.
A CRO can provide services such as biopharmaceutical development, biological test development, commercialization, clinical development, clinical trial management, pharmacovigilance, results research, and real-world evidence. Contract research organizations usually work on a contract basis and provide services for specific projects or for a certain period of time. Preclinical research organizations can help conduct research on the safety and efficacy of new drugs, medical devices, and other products before testing them on humans during clinical trials. CROs who carry out preclinical research often employ preclinical research professionals, such as associate researchers and preclinical research scientists. In the field of life sciences, a contract research organization (CRO) is a company that supports the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries through outsourced research services.
Contract researchers can also support drug discovery and product development and conduct preclinical research on the safety and efficacy of new drugs, medical devices, and other products. Biotechnology, biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies often need support with regard to preclinical and clinical trials and other areas of research and development. In conclusion, it is important to understand that while both contract research organizations (CROs) and clinical research organizations (CROs) are involved in conducting clinical trials for pharmaceuticals or medical devices, they are not necessarily one in the same. A CRO is an umbrella term for any organization that provides outsourced services related to clinical trials or preclinical studies while a clinical research organization is specifically focused on conducting clinical trials.
