{"entity":{"id":"contract-research-organisations","kind":"technology","name":"Contract research organisations (CROs)","aka":[],"tldr":"Companies that run clinical trials for sponsors: sites, monitoring, data, and regulatory filing.","summary":"IQVIA, ICON (including PRA), Parexel, Fortrea (ex-Labcorp), Syneos, Medpace, PPD (Thermo Fisher), and Charles River (preclinical) execute the majority of industry oncology trials. Oncology is the largest CRO therapeutic segment; capabilities in biomarker-driven enrolment, imaging core labs (e.g. ICON Medical Imaging, Calyx), and China/Asia site networks differentiate. Consolidation and AI-driven site selection are current trends.","status":"standard-of-care","asOf":"2026-09-08","links":[{"label":"FDA guidance: ICH E6(R3) good clinical practice","url":"https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/e6r3-good-clinical-practice-gcp"}],"tags":["supporting"],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":["ai-computation"],"technologies":["clinical-trial-software","imaging-core-labs"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["iqvia","icon-plc","parexel","fortrea","medpace","charles-river"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Outsourced trial operations under sponsor oversight: feasibility, site management, monitoring, pharmacovigilance, biostatistics, and submission.","strengths":["Global reach and scale","Specialised oncology expertise"],"limitations":["Cost","Sponsor oversight burden","Enrolment delays remain the norm"]},"route":"/technologies/contract-research-organisations/","neighbours":{"section":[{"id":"ai-computation","kind":"section","name":"AI & Computation","route":"/fronts/ai-computation/"}],"technology":[{"id":"clinical-trial-software","kind":"technology","name":"Clinical trial software (EDC, eCOA, CTMS, RTSM)","route":"/technologies/clinical-trial-software/"},{"id":"imaging-core-labs","kind":"technology","name":"Imaging core labs and central review","route":"/technologies/imaging-core-labs/"}],"company":[{"id":"charles-river","kind":"company","name":"Charles River Laboratories","route":"/companies/charles-river/"},{"id":"fortrea","kind":"company","name":"Fortrea","route":"/companies/fortrea/"},{"id":"icon-plc","kind":"company","name":"ICON plc","route":"/companies/icon-plc/"},{"id":"iqvia","kind":"company","name":"IQVIA","route":"/companies/iqvia/"},{"id":"medpace","kind":"company","name":"Medpace","route":"/companies/medpace/"},{"id":"parexel","kind":"company","name":"Parexel","route":"/companies/parexel/"},{"id":"sarah-cannon-research-institute","kind":"company","name":"Sarah Cannon Research Institute","route":"/companies/sarah-cannon-research-institute/"},{"id":"thermo-fisher","kind":"company","name":"Thermo Fisher Scientific","route":"/companies/thermo-fisher/"}]}}