Chesapeake IRB and Schulman IRB have merged to form Advarra, a new provider of IRB, institutional biosafety committee (IBC) and research compliance services.

“By coming together as Advarra, we are merging the highest quality review organizations in the industry,” Jeffrey Wendel, president and CEO of Chesapeake IRB said. “Through a customer-centric integration, we will be able to provide additional scope and capacity while maintaining the highest standards of research review and unparalleled efficiency. We are delighted to come together with a like-minded organization that places the same emphasis on integrity and quality.”

The new organization will offer regulatory expertise and customer service to help with research needs.

“We are tremendously excited about this strategic combination that will allow us to further develop and accelerate innovation across our portfolio of IRB services, IBC services and research compliance consulting,” Michael Woods, president and CEO of Schulman IRB, said. “This also enables us to leverage our mutual technology capabilities and robust regulatory expertise to speed study startup. Together, we are even better positioned to deliver unparalleled human subject protection and oversight with exceptional client service.”

Chesapeake IRB and Schulman IRB will able support and advance service offerings to academic medical centers and hospital systems.

“By leveraging the best attributes of our respective organizations, we will provide a singular focus on increasing the efficiency and delivery of IRB services that will resonate with sponsors, CROs and research institutions alike,” Wendel said.