CRO Noble Acquires CRO Spring Valley Laboratories, Expands Preclinical Capabilities
By Cyndi Root
Noble Life Sciences, a contract research organization (CRO) from Gaithersburg, MD, has acquired Spring Valley Laboratories from Sykesville, MD. The companies announced the move in a press release, stating that Spring Valley’s CRO services help Noble provide development from beginning to end of the drug development life cycle, especially in preclinical services. Alain Cappeluti, President of Noble Life Sciences, said, “Spring Valley Laboratories’ GLP and large animal testing capabilities will be an excellent fit with our small animal testing capabilities and in vitro drug discovery expertise.”
Noble acquired Spring Valley for its full service, GLP (Good Laboratory Practice)-compliant capabilities, which include GLP regulatory standards, small and large animals, and vaccine testing capabilities. Additionally, Spring Valley supports its work with regulatory support. Combined with Noble’s expertise in early-stage products, Spring Valley positions Noble to be able to provide the full continuum of preclinical studies through regulation-compliant studies.
The owners of Spring Valley, Robyn Shaw and Amy Dyke, will remain with Noble and provide operational expertise. The staff at Spring Valley will remain intact as it becomes a division of Noble. Ms. Dyke, President and CEO of Spring Valley Laboratories, stated that her 24,000 square feet of laboratory space on twenty-five acres will enhance offerings to clients developing drugs and biologics. The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
Noble Activities
Early in 2014, Noble announced that it had jointly developed a new rat model with IBT Bioservices from Gaithersburg, MD. The companies announced the new model in a press release, stating that cotton rats are vital in studying influenza infection. Earlier in the year, the two companies announced they had jointly developed an optimized cotton rat model for preclinical studies of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) therapies and vaccines.
Preclinical CRO Market
Noble and Spring Valley are operating in a market for preclinical CRO services that occupies approximately 15 percent of the total CRO market, according to a report by Brocair Partners, investment advisors. Authors state that the CRO services industry is fragmented with small firms working in niche areas. The acquisition of Spring Valley by Noble is an attempt to gain market share and reflects the larger pharmaceutical industry’s move towards partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions.