The acquisition will strengthen SRI's Biosciences Division, one of the largest pre-clinical contract research organisations (CROs) in the US, and a major provider of services to government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, as well as biopharma firms.
Services include basic research on disease mechanisms; drug discovery and the development of biologics; and full-service pre-clinical contract research and development up until the approval to start human clinical trials.
QCL was targeted by SRI due to its specialisation in clinical haematology and chemistry analysis, a function that is key to the pre-clinical safety studies required by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in new drug development, but currently outside SRI's scope.
"The clinical pathology work performed by QCL is an important addition to the comprehensive pre-clinical services that SRI provides its clients," said Jon Mirsalis, managing director of SRI's Biosciences Division.
QCL's compliance with Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) regulations was also a key factor in the decision taken by Silicon Valley-based SRI, as it is the only commercial laboratory of its kind in California to do so.