Chesapeake IRB, a technology-enabled independent institutional review board (IRB) serving the clinical research industry, has acquired Institutional Biosafety Corporation (IBC), a provider of institutional biosafety committee services located in Rockville, MD.
 
The acquisition expands Chesapeake’s services with the capability to provide review and oversight of research using recombinant or synthetic DNA molecules, including clinical trials involving genetic engineering and gene therapy.
 
“We are excited to partner with IBC to offer comprehensive biosafety support services that will further serve our customers conducting biological and biomedical clinical research trials,” said Jeff Wendel, president and chief executive officer of Chesapeake. “Together with our market-leading IRB services, we now offer customers the ability to properly assess the biosafety precautions essential for mitigating risks to researchers and patients.”
 
“By utilizing the exceptional Chesapeake platform, Chesapeake’s IRB review process and IBC’s institutional biosafety committee services, we can offer the speed, efficiency and quality customers need to grow their research capacity and safeguard research participants,” said Gil Price, co-founder and chief executive officer of Institutional Biosafety Corp.
 
Federal regulations require institutions to have institutional biosafety committee oversight if they are conducting research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules (r/sNA) and are funded by the National Institutes of Health or taking place at sites that receive NIH funding. Many privately sponsored studies voluntarily use institutional biosafety committee services due to their interest in seeking NIH funding, other third-party regulatory requirements, or for enhanced research safety oversight.