CorDynamics is a preclinical contract research organization in the Illinois Medical District in Chicago that works only on cardiovascular questions. It describes its work as focused exclusively on cardiovascular drug discovery and safety[S1] and states that "for over two decades, we've partnered with pharma and biotech teams to deliver high-quality preclinical data that drives confident decisions in both discovery and safety pharmacology."[S2] Its knowledge hub carries a further comparative claim about its position among providers;[S8] this profile does not reproduce comparative claims that no cited source substantiates. This profile summarizes the model panels, techniques, stated compliance information, and company facts most relevant to US sponsors.
Model panels
Atrial fibrillation and heart failure
The atrial fibrillation panel uses rat, guinea pig and large animal species, with three model formats: "isolated Langendorff heart; anesthetized large animal (acute vagal pacing); telemetry-based chronic atrial tachypacing."[S3] The company also describes "conscious animal models for real-time ECG, hemodynamic, and physiology monitoring."[S3] The heart failure panel covers mouse, rat, guinea pig, rabbit and large animal, with models listed as "post-MI HFrEF (permanent ligation or ischemia-reperfusion), pressure overload (TAC, aortic constriction), pacing-induced failure (large animal), HFpEF (high-fat diet, DOCA-salt, metabolic syndrome)."[S4] Endpoints listed for heart failure work include "infarct size, fibrosis, histopathology, biomarkers (BNP, NT-proBNP), survival, arrhythmia incidence."[S4]
Pulmonary arterial hypertension and thrombosis
The pulmonary arterial hypertension panel uses mouse and rat, with models listed as "monocrotaline (MCT); hypoxia; hypoxia + Sugen (SuHx),"[S5] and names PDE5 inhibitors, endothelin-1 antagonists, soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators and sotatercept among the validated pharmacology controls.[S5] The thrombosis panel spans mouse, rat and human in vitro work, with "platelet aggregation (whole blood, PRP); carotid arterial thrombosis; coronary thrombosis; venous thrombosis."[S6] Named techniques used across the four panels are the Langendorff heart, in vivo anesthetized models, in vitro vascular activity, implantable telemetry, pressure-volume loops, echocardiography and electrophysiology.[S7] Data acquisition uses "validated data acquisition systems (Notocord, EMKA, DSI)."[S2]
What is not offered
The focus is narrow by design. No general toxicology outside cardiovascular questions, no DMPK or ADME service line, no standalone bioanalysis or pathology laboratory, no infectious disease or biocontainment work and no medical device testing was found on the pages reviewed. Pharmacokinetic and histopathology readouts appear as endpoints within cardiovascular studies rather than as services that can be bought separately.[S4] A sponsor running a full nonclinical program would place the cardiovascular work here and the rest elsewhere.
Quality, compliance, and animal welfare (as stated by the company)
GLP. The company states that it "operates in a GLP- and OECD-compliant environment"[S2] and refers to "controlled-access security and comprehensive QA oversight."[S2] The company's website does not name a specific GLP regulation (FDA 21 CFR Part 58, EPA 40 CFR Part 160/792, or OECD GLP) for its facilities.[S2] GLP compliance is determined study by study under the applicable regulation, so sponsors should confirm in the protocol which regulation their study will follow and that the final report will carry the study director's compliance statement and the quality assurance unit's statement.[R2] On animal oversight, no AAALAC accreditation, USDA registration, OLAW Animal Welfare Assurance or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee statement was found on any page reviewed. The one appearance of the 3Rs is on the atrial fibrillation page, where "multi-compound testing in single animal (3Rs)"[S3] describes a study design that reduces animal numbers rather than a welfare policy. Sponsors who require documented accreditation or registration should ask the company directly. AAALAC International accreditation is a voluntary evaluation of an institution's animal care and use program, re-evaluated every three years,[R3] and USDA registration and an OLAW Animal Welfare Assurance relate to the Animal Welfare Act and the PHS Policy respectively;[R4][R5] none of these establishes GLP compliance, which applies to individual studies.[R2] FDA does not approve or certify laboratories; registration with FDA does not denote approval.[R6]
Company facts
Name
CorDynamics; the site footer shows the name without a corporate suffix[S1]
Location
2242 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60612, United States, in the Illinois Medical District (the only site named)[S1][S2]
Founded
Not stated; the company cites more than two decades of partnership work[S2]
Ownership
Not stated; no stock listing, investor or parent company is named on the website[S2]
FDA ? "Is It Really FDA Approved?" (FDA does not approve health care providers, including laboratories; registration does not denote approval); FDA Compliance Program 7348.808 (GLP inspections of nonclinical laboratories). https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/it-really-fda-approved (accessed 2026-09-03)
3 Recommended Contract Research Organizations
for Non-Clinical Studies
— by Target goal and Expertise
In non-clinical development, the choice of contract research organization shapes the quality of the data and the time it takes to reach the next decision. Below, three CROs are introduced by the type of study they support: pharmacology (efficacy) studies, safety studies, and pharmacokinetic (PK/PD) studies. Each summary describes the services the company offers so that you can match a provider to your target and development objective.
Pharmacology (Efficacy) StudiesDisease-Relevant Models for Translational Drug Evaluation
Reference: SMC Laboratories, Inc. official website (https://www.smccro-lab.com/)
SMC Laboratories, Inc.
SMC Laboratories is a specialized non-clinical CRO focused on in vivo pharmacology and efficacy studies using disease-relevant animal models, particularly in fibrosis, inflammation, metabolic diseases, and oncology.
Areas of Expertise
Disease-Relevant Model Portfolio
SMC Laboratories offers models covering the liver, lung, kidney, intestine, and oncology. Its portfolio includes the proprietary STAM™ model for MASH, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Study Design Based on Target Biology
Study plans are developed around the target biology, mechanism of action, disease stage, and development objective. Pharmacological endpoints can be combined with histopathology, biomarkers, and disease-specific readouts.
Support from Target Validation to Proof of Concept
With experience from more than 1,000 studies for clients in 30 countries, SMC Laboratories supports programs from target validation and candidate selection through in vivo proof-of-concept studies.
Safety StudiesComprehensive Safety Assessment for Preclinical Development
Reference: Charles River Laboratories official website (https://www.criver.com/)
Charles River Laboratories
Charles River provides non-clinical toxicology and safety assessment services for programs ranging from exploratory safety studies to IND-enabling development.
Areas of Expertise
General Toxicology Across Study Designs
Services include single- and repeat-dose toxicology, dose-range finding, and general toxicology studies across multiple species and administration routes.
Non-GLP and GLP Study Support
Charles River supports both non-GLP and GLP studies, allowing sponsors to progress from early safety characterization to studies intended for regulatory submissions.
Integrated IND-Enabling Safety Assessment
Toxicology studies can be integrated with toxicokinetics, clinical pathology, histopathology, and safety pharmacology to support interpretation and IND-enabling safety packages.
Pharmacokinetic (PK/PD) StudiesConnecting Drug Exposure with Pharmacological Response
Reference: Inotiv official website (https://www.inotiv.com/)
Inotiv
Inotiv provides integrated PK/PD, DMPK, and bioanalytical services to characterize drug exposure and its relationship with pharmacological response.
Areas of Expertise
Pharmacokinetic Characterization
PK studies characterize exposure, half-life, clearance, and other pharmacokinetic parameters needed to understand how a candidate behaves in the selected model.
Exposure–Response Evaluation
Pharmacokinetic data can be combined with pharmacodynamic endpoints and bioanalysis to evaluate the relationship between drug exposure and pharmacological response.
Integrated DMPK and Development Support
Integrated DMPK, pharmacology, and safety information supports candidate comparison, dose selection, dosing-frequency optimization, and decisions about subsequent preclinical development.
Japanese
