A CRO's Way Forward In The Midst Of A Pandemic: QPS Operations And COVID-19

As QPS Holdings LLC Chairman President, and CEO, Ben Chien, PhD, leads a large global organization with locations across the US, Europe, and Asia. Since its inception in 1995, the company has grown from a three-employee molecular bioanalysis lab headquartered in Delaware to 11 locations with 1,200 employees around the globe. QPS has also completed seven corporate acquisitions and conducted nearly 10,000 pre-clinical and clinical research studies. QPS has assembled best-in-class instrumentations, platforms, and processes required to conduct studies supporting client drug discovery and development strategies. The QPS service offering has grown to include neuropharmacology, toxicology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), dermal and transdermal research laboratory, bioanalysis, translational medicine, and all phases of clinical research (Phase I-IV).

A mass spectrometrist by training, Dr. Chien specialized in the development of a novel Ion-Trap Time-of-Flight mass spectrometer and its applications, before transitioning to become an entrepreneurial leader, building a start-up Contract Research Organization (CRO). He founded QPS LLC in 1995 after starting his career at DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals and working there for two and a half years. Dr. Chien recently reflected on the progress of the company’s growth from a small, three-person start-up to a mid-sized CRO, the impact COVID-19 has had on drug development and clinical trials, and the way forward for CROs in the midst of a pandemic.