Ichor Life Sciences, Inc. describes itself as "a pre-clinical contract research organization (CRO) with 100% US operations."[S1] It runs a discovery laboratory in Syracuse, New York and a separate vivarium in LaFayette, New York.[S3] The company states that it was founded by Kelsey Moody while in medical school at SUNY Upstate Medical University, with its timeline placing the founding in May 2013.[S2] One point is worth stating up front: the company says on its toxicology page that it is "not currently providing GLP studies."[S4] Sponsors who need a GLP safety study for a regulatory submission should plan to place that work elsewhere. This profile summarizes the services, facilities, stated compliance information, and company facts most relevant to US sponsors.
Nonclinical services relevant to US drug developers
In vivo disease models
The in vivo model catalog spans oncology and immuno-oncology, ophthalmology, aging and lifespan, metabolic disease, wound healing, cardiovascular disease and custom model development.[S5] In oncology the company offers syngeneic, orthotopic and cell line-derived xenograft models, stating that it offers "a wide variety of profiled syngeneic mouse models that provide a more approachable method of immunology than typical xenograft modelling."[S6] Ophthalmology is described as the company's original focus: "spanning anterior to posterior disease models, we can assist! Our core business has been rooted in ophthalmic pharmacology for over 10-years,"[S7] with named models including glaucoma, experimental autoimmune uveitis, endotoxin-induced uveitis, wet and dry age-related macular degeneration, a Stargardt disease model, laser-induced choroidal neovascularization, optic nerve crush and ocular hypertension.[S7] For aging research the company states that "pre-aged C57BL/6 and HET3 mice are readily available."[S8]
Non-GLP toxicology
The company states: "Although not currently providing GLP studies, Ichor Life Sciences has partnered with numerous clients in providing exploratory and nonGLP carcinogenicity studies."[S4] Listed study types are acute toxicity and maximum tolerated dose, single and repeat-dose range finding, carcinogenicity, chronic and subchronic toxicity, ocular toxicity, PK and TK studies, dose-range-finding embryo-fetal development studies, LD50 designs and dose-range-finding juvenile toxicity.[S4] Species listed are mouse, rat, rabbit and swine.[S4] Because these are exploratory rather than GLP studies, sponsors should agree in the protocol how the data will be documented and what role it will play in a later regulatory package.
PK/PD, bioanalysis, protein science, and histology
The company offers PK and PD studies, stating that sponsors can "evaluate pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics at all phases of development with ELISAs for biologics, spectral flow cytometry for cell-based therapies, and mass spectrometry for small molecule,"[S9] alongside ADME assays for kinetic solubility, cytotoxicity and hepatotoxicity, lipophilicity and permeability.[S9] Its LC-MS services are described as "a comprehensive suite of capabilities including method development, quantitative bioanalysis, and pharmacokinetic profiling."[S10] A separate protein services group covers protein expression in bacterial, insect and mammalian systems, structural biology and x-ray crystallography, and biophysical assays including surface plasmon resonance, circular dichroism, nanoDSF, bio-layer interferometry and isothermal titration calorimetry.[S12] Histology is run as an in-house core described as "a full service facility featuring start of the art equipment with the capacity to process, embed, section, stain, and analyze tissue specimens,"[S11] covering standard stains, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, quantitative image analysis and digitized slides.[S11]
Quality, compliance, and animal welfare (as stated by the company)
GLP. The company states that it is not currently providing GLP studies.[S4] This is an explicit statement rather than an absence of information, and sponsors seeking GLP toxicology should treat that statement as a constraint on what can be placed here. GLP compliance applies to individual nonclinical laboratory studies under the applicable regulation,[R2] so a program can mix exploratory work here with GLP studies at another facility, provided the roles are set out in advance.
Accreditation and animal welfare. The company states that "our vivarium [is] an AAALAC accredited facility with an in-house IACUC"[S4] and, on its consulting page, that its attending veterinarian "has led our facility in AAALAC accreditation."[S14] An accreditation date is not published. No company-level USDA registration or OLAW Animal Welfare Assurance statement was found on the pages reviewed; USDA, OLAW, IACUC and AAALAC appear elsewhere only in the description of the attending veterinarian's prior policy work.[S13] The company also states that its "facilities prioritized animal welfare by promoting species-specific behaviors with enrichment activities."[S5] 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] This profile does not evaluate the company's animal care program; the statements above are the company's own.
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 drug discovery, the quality and efficiency of non-clinical studies have a direct impact on clinical success rates, development costs, and overall length of time required in R&D.
In recent years, there has been more demand for clinically relevant data, globally accepted reliability, and accurate early-stage screening.
Thus, it is more important than ever to select the right CRO (Contract Research Organization) for strategic approach.
In this article, we highlight three CROs with proven technical capabilities, expertise, and long standing track records. These are our TOP 3 choices based on their capabilities and the specific target goals of the researchers for their non-clinical studies.
Pharmacology (Efficacy) Studies Replicate unknown pathological models and Discovery to clinically oriented drug evaluation
SMC Laboratories, Inc.
Reference: SMC Laboratories, Inc. official website (https://www.smccro-lab.com/jp/)
SMC Laboratories, Inc. has established a disease models using patented mouse technologies.
The company has established proprietary pathological models—particularly in liver disease and fibrosis—and continues to expand their approach across a wide range of models in cancer, inflammation, and metabolic diseases.
From exploratory research to clinically oriented efficacy evaluation, SMC offers customized study designs, dosing strategies, and evaluation analysis tailored to each project.
Their collaborative approach allows researchers to discuss and refine study plans together with SMC’s expert scientists.
With flexible small-scale study options and strong technical support, SMC Laboratories, Inc. is an ideal partner for start-ups, biotech ventures, and academic institutions alike.
Safety Studies Comprehensive Safety Evaluation for FIH Applications
Labcorp Holdings Inc. (Labcorp Drug Development)
Reference: Labcorp Holdings Inc. official website (https://jp.labcorp.com/)
Labcorp Holdings Inc. provides a fully integrated GLP testing system aligned with international regulatory standards, including FDA, EMA, and PMDA requirements.
All studies are conducted under ICH-compliant quality assurance, making it ready for data submission.
The company has extensive expertise in long-term toxicity studies such as Segment I–III reproductive and carcinogenicity studies, as well as 2-year chronic toxicity assessments.
Labcorp Holdings Inc.’s comprehensive approach enables sponsors to efficiently outsource the entire preclinical package from toxicology, toxicokinetic (TK), and safety pharmacology study design to execution. This accelerates a path to First-in-Human (FIH) trials.
For most of the global drug developers, this all-in-one service structure minimizes cost, risk, and expedite the time before advancing to clinical phase.
Pharmacokinetic (PK/PD) Studies High-Precision Bioanalysis for Clinically Predictive PK/PD Evaluation
PhoenixBio Co., Ltd.
Source: PhoenixBio Co., Ltd. Official Website (https://phoenixbio.co.jp/)
PhoenixBio Co., Ltd. offers pharmacokinetic and hepatic metabolism studies using their proprietary PXB-mouse®, a humanized-liver chimeric mouse model. This platform enables the acquisition of data with high clinical correlation in ADME, drug–to–drug interaction studies, bridging the gap between preclinical and clinical stages.
With advanced LC-MS/MS-based bioanalysis, PhoenixBio Co., Ltd. provides a seamless workflow from plasma concentration measurement and metabolite identification to quantitative validation.
The company offers an integrated evaluation analysis covering pharmacokinetics, hepatotoxicity, and safety with flexibility to accommodate complex modalities such as oligonucleotide and middle-molecule therapeutics.
For compounds where hepatic metabolism is a development bottleneck—or where quantitative, reproducible exposure data are critical—PhoenixBio Co., Ltd. delivers unmatched analytical precision and consistency.
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