Profil Institute for Clinical Research, a company focused on early phase clinical trials for diabetes and obesity, and Florida Hospital, one of nation's largest clinical care providers, formed a joint venture to establish a state-of-the-art early phase clinical services center for metabolic disease research, including diabetes, obesity and cardiometabolic diseases.

The Profil Institute at Florida Hospital will initially be located at the new Florida Hospital-Sanford-Burnham Translational Research Institute (TRI) facility in Orlando, Fla., and is expected to begin operations in late 2012. The institute will join the TRI as part of Florida Hospital's Health Village development zone and will bring approximately 75 new jobs to the region over the next five years.

The joint venture combines Florida Hospital's patient network on the East Coast and TRI's translational research focus with Profil Institute's center of excellence reputation and capabilities in early phase clinical metabolic drug development. Profil Institute at Florida Hospital will expand Profil Institute's capacity to now offer disease focused early phase clinical research services out of two locations, the company's core facility located in Chula Vista, Calif., and the new Orlando location.

"Florida Hospital and its Translational Research Institute are positioned to make incredible advancements in metabolic research as a marriage between one of the nation's largest clinical care providers and a leading academic institute," said Profil Institute CEO Dr. Marcus Hompesch. "Profil Institute is pleased to be a strategic partner with Florida Hospital in this powerful collaborative effort that is sure to result in positive therapeutic outcomes for diabetes, obesity and related diseases."