CenExel, a Salt Lake City-based clinical research company, has acquired Apex Innovative Sciences, parent company of Collaborative Neuroscience Research (CNS) and Hassman Research Institute (HRI). The two companies will be renamed as CenExel CNS and CenExel HRI, respectively. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}

The two acquired companies operate five clinical research sites in California and New Jersey with expertise in early-phase complex clinical trials with particular emphasis on central nervous system medicine. CenExel CNS will continue to be led by Dr. David Walling, while CenExel HRI will continue under the direction of Dr. Howard Hassman. Both leaders have decades of experience conducting Phase I through Phase IV studies across a variety of medical specialties. The primary therapeutic areas served by these five centers include early-phase normal healthy volunteer and patient studies, psychiatry, addiction, neurology, pain, ethnic bridging, and general medicine, particularly vaccine, endocrine and infectious diseases.

“The acquisition of CenExel CNS and CenExel HRI elevates CenExel to be the most prolific wholly-owned neuroscience research site network in the world,” CenExel said in a release

CenExel CNS has facilities in Garden Grove, Long Beach and Torrance, California, adding to CenExel’s five existing California clinical research centers. CenExel HRI has facilities in Berlin and Marlton. New Jersey, while CenExel has an existing facility in Toms River, New Jersey. The acquisition gives Cen Exel 19 clinical research sites in the United States.

“The addition of CenExel CNS and CenExel HRI establishes the foremost therapeutically focused clinical research site network in the neurosciences,” said Tom Wardle, CenExel CEO. “These teams have always delivered scientific expertise and operational excellence. We’re excited to work with such exceptional leaders in the CNS research community.”

“We are very pleased to be joining the CenExel site network,” said Hassman. “CenExel’s depth of experience and market-leading scale provides a tremendous platform for growth. We look forward to combining our extensive resources to provide unparalleled efficiency and clinical expertise as we build the industry’s highest- quality and most dependable partner for complex early-stage clinical research services.”

“CenExel CNS and CenExel HRI, in combination with the rest of CenExel’s sites, now offer the foremost scientific proficiency, clinical content expertise and operational capability in the industry,” said Walling. “We recognize the value of coordinating with our customers to assist in the development and execution of protocols by deploying best practices in clinical research, especially pertaining to clinical quality, compliance, and patient engagement.”{/mprestriction}