RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Quebec-based Mispro Biotech Services is increasing its presence in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park.

The preclinical services company has announced that it will open a new full-service vivarium in early 2022 to meet the demand from North Carolina’s globally recognized biopharma and life sciences research community. Vivariums are used for raising and keeping animals for observation or early-stage research.

Mispro offers area biotech and biopharma companies access to contract vivarium rental space to conduct in vivo rodent studies. This allows those businesses to carry out and control their studies without having to assume the capital and operating expenses associated with building and running their own facilities. Mispro said the new vivarium will be centrally located within one of RTP’s biopark campuses and will be able to support up to 20 biotech and biopharma clients.

A Mispro lab mouse. (Mispro photo)

Along with access to private or shared research space, the company also offers comprehensive animal care and regulatory compliance support that includes husbandry, veterinary, and in vivo technical services and its own Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. It operates a network of full-service preclinical vivarium research facilities in the U.S. and Canada designed to support companies at different stages of development and funding, from small start-ups to mid-size biotechs and mature biopharma.

“Since we first opened our doors here in 2013, we have seen incredible growth in the RTP cluster,” said Mispro CEO Philippe Lamarre. “The time was right to expand into a new facility with more space and modern amenities where we could support the influx of biotechs who are seeking in vivo lab space.”

Laura Gunter, president of NCBio – the trade association for the biosciences in North Carolina – pointed out that “Mispro has become a cornerstone of the Triangle ecosystem as contract research and support companies are finding increased favor. Biotechs of all sizes and therapeutic disciplines are focusing more on their core competencies, which is opening the door to innovation like Mispro’s contract vivarium option,” she added. “We are pleased to see their decision to expand here and support more North Carolina companies.”