MPI Research, the world’s largest single-site preclinical CRO, and Edge Therapeutics, a hospital-focused biopharmaceutical company, will collaborate on preclinical and clinical testing of Edge's lead product candidates to advance life-saving therapies after brain hemorrhaging.

The companies will combine their skills and expertise with the goal of initiating clinical trials of Edge's portfolio of therapies—NimoGel, NimoVent and EG-1964—that use novel implantable technology to deliver proven drugs directly to the site of brain injury.

The collaboration creates a preferred partnership relationship in which MPI Research will act as Edge's primary service provider for pharmacologic, analytical and safety in preclinical testing, and will also provide analytical services for clinical testing. This collaboration will allow Edge to gain multiple cost efficiencies while still retaining asset ownership and ownership of its strategic decision-making.

"Partnering with MPI Research allows Edge to access additional expertise and capabilities on a larger scale, helping to advance our lead hospital products into clinical trials," said R. Loch Macdonald, MD, PhD, chief scientific officer of Edge. "We look forward to a strong collaboration focused on the shared goal of saving the lives of brain-injured patients."