Contract research and development

Preclinical CRO services in Greece.

Elpida BioPharm is a preclinical contract research organisation in Thessaloniki, Greece. We help biotech, pharma, medtech and academic teams design translational studies, from candidate selection to preclinical efficacy and safety.

Inverted microscope and sample vials in an illustrative laboratory scene

Preclinical research services

Commission a single study or build a programme that connects candidate selection, proof of concept and early safety.

AI-generated laboratory photograph illustrating nanoparticle formulation and drug-delivery research

Candidate selection & delivery

Which candidate or formulation should move forward?

Formulation and nanomedicine
Compare formulations and assess the properties and functional performance of nanoparticles, nanomedicines and other drug delivery systems.
Gene delivery and advanced therapies
Evaluate nucleic acid delivery platforms and distinguish delivery performance from functional activity.
Pharmacokinetics and biodistribution
Plan pharmacokinetic (PK) and biodistribution studies to compare blood exposure, tissue distribution and persistence. Agree bioanalytical requirements during study design.

You receive A candidate comparison, the main trade-offs and a recommendation for the next study.

AI-generated laboratory photograph illustrating humane animal-model research and preclinical efficacy assessment

Preclinical efficacy

Does the effect hold up in a relevant disease model?

Cell-based assays
Use in vitro cell-based assays to assess biological activity, functional responses and cell viability in disease-relevant models.
Animal disease models
Assess in vivo efficacy in a model suited to the question, including oncology models for antitumour activity or immunotherapy response.
Product-specific endpoints
Select relevant readouts for anticancer drugs, immunotherapies, other medicines, probiotics and synbiotics. For vaccine candidates, scope immune-response assessments as appropriate.

You receive Comparative results, the limits of the model and an interpretation of whether the candidate is ready to advance.

AI-generated laboratory photograph illustrating sample analysis and preclinical safety assessment

Safety & tolerability

Which safety questions must be answered next?

Exploratory toxicology
Use existing evidence and early studies to assess local or systemic tolerability and identify signals that warrant follow-up.
Developmental and reproductive toxicology
Scope developmental and reproductive toxicology (DART) with an appropriate facility, including embryo–fetal development assessments where relevant.
Formal safety studies
Identify evidence gaps and confirm the facility and applicable study standard during scoping.

You receive An interpretation of the early safety evidence and a prioritised plan for further assessment.

AI-generated laboratory photograph illustrating biomaterial and medical-device testing

Medical devices & biomaterials

Does the prototype perform as intended?

Prototype performance
Compare functional performance under conditions relevant to the intended use.
Medical device biocompatibility and biological evaluation
Plan biocompatibility and biological assessments around the material, device and type of body contact.
Drug-releasing devices
Assess release behaviour alongside the device’s functional performance where relevant.

You receive A side-by-side prototype comparison and an evidence plan for further testing.

Research models

We match the model to the biological question and endpoint, starting with cell-based options where they can answer the question.

Illustrative microscopy-style view of cultured cells

Cell models

Select cell lines, primary cells or 3D systems to compare activity and test disease-relevant responses.

White laboratory mouse in side profile

Mouse

Consider mouse models for disease-specific proof of concept, including oncology, and for questions about tissue distribution.

Grey-brown laboratory rat in side profile

Rat

Consider rat models for pharmacokinetics, tolerability or functional outcomes when they fit the study.

White laboratory rabbit in side profile

Rabbit

Consider rabbit models for selected medical-device, ocular or developmental safety questions.

Disease models by indication

These are examples of study areas we can scope. We confirm the specific model, its availability and the study site during project planning.

Oncology & immuno-oncology

Prostate, breast, lung, colorectal, pancreatic and ovarian cancers, melanoma and selected haematological malignancies.

Cell-based tumour models, 3D tumour spheroids and, where appropriate, syngeneic or xenograft models for antitumour activity, immune response or metastasis.

Obesity, diabetes & metabolism

Obesity, insulin resistance, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia and metabolic syndrome.

Diet-induced obesity and selected genetic metabolic models for questions about weight, glucose control, lipid metabolism or therapeutic response.

Ischaemia, reperfusion & cardiovascular disease

Myocardial, intestinal and renal ischaemia–reperfusion injury, vascular dysfunction and atherosclerosis.

Models selected for tissue injury, perfusion, vascular response or functional recovery.

Stroke & neurological disease

Ischaemic stroke, neuroinflammation, peripheral neuropathy and selected neurodegenerative disorders.

Cell-based or animal models for neuronal injury, inflammation and functional outcomes.

Genetic & rare diseases

Inherited skin disorders such as epidermolysis bullosa, retinal dystrophies, and selected inherited metabolic and neuromuscular disorders.

Disease-relevant patient-derived cells or selected genetic models, depending on access and the phenotype needed.

Dermatology & wound healing

Atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, skin barrier defects, diabetic wounds, delayed healing and scarring.

Cell, reconstructed skin or animal models for barrier function, inflammation and tissue repair.

Gastrointestinal disease & microbiome

Inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, intestinal barrier dysfunction and microbiome-related metabolic outcomes.

Study designs for intestinal inflammation, epithelial barrier integrity and evaluation of probiotics and synbiotics.

Pulmonary & respiratory disease

Asthma, airway inflammation, pulmonary fibrosis and acute lung injury.

Airway cell models or selected animal models for inflammatory responses, tissue changes and functional endpoints.

Kidney & liver disease

Acute kidney injury, renal fibrosis, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and liver fibrosis.

Models for tissue injury, fibrosis, organ function or treatment response, depending on the indication.

Ophthalmology

Glaucoma, corneal injury and repair, retinal degeneration and other selected ocular disorders.

Ocular cell or animal models for tissue response, device performance or drug delivery, as appropriate.

Inflammation & musculoskeletal disease

Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory pain and bone or cartilage injury.

Models for inflammatory responses, joint pathology, functional outcomes and tissue repair.

Biomaterials & regenerative medicine

Implant–tissue interactions, tissue regeneration, fibrosis and wound repair.

Cell compatibility and tissue-response models to support development of biomaterials and medical devices.

Ethics review & project authorisation

We manage the ethics submission from protocol preparation through committee review. We draft the study protocol and supporting documents, agree the application with your team, coordinate submission to the ethics committee for the facility where the study will be conducted, and handle questions and revisions. We also coordinate any additional project authorisation steps that apply.

Planning the review timeline

As a planning estimate, allow around one month for ethics committee review after the agreed, complete protocol is submitted. Timing depends on the committee’s schedule and any revisions it requests.

How your study runs

The scientific team helps define the study, reviews results with you and explains what the evidence supports.

  1. Define the decision

    Review your candidate, intended use, available evidence and the decision the study must support.

    Study brief
  2. Choose models and endpoints

    Agree the model, comparators, endpoints, acceptance criteria and analysis approach.

    Study rationale
  3. Agree the scope

    Confirm the work plan, timeline, responsibilities and study facility. Where ethics review is required, we prepare and coordinate the submission.

    Agreed protocol and milestones
  4. Run and review

    Conduct or coordinate the agreed work, review data quality and discuss material changes.

    Progress updates and interim review
  5. Interpret and report

    Review the results and their limitations, then recommend the next study or development decision.

    Data, report and next steps

Example research projects

Three ways to structure a study around a development decision.

Select a delivery candidate

Compare two formulations against agreed criteria for activity, exposure and tissue distribution.

Lead selection and rationale for the next study.

Establish preclinical proof of concept

Translate a promising cell-based result into a study with a relevant disease model and interpretable endpoints.

Evidence for advancing, refining or stopping the candidate.

Plan the next safety package

Review existing tolerability and exposure data, identify gaps and prioritise follow-up studies by the intended use.

A prioritised study plan and requirements for specialist testing.

Scientific writing & publication support

Our team has published in high-impact international journals. We bring that experience to academic groups and research teams preparing results for publication, as part of a CRO project or as a stand-alone service.

Interpret and present your results

We work with your team to interpret findings, explain their limitations and prepare figures, tables and captions that make the evidence clear.

Write and format the manuscript

We can draft, edit and format a complete scientific paper from your data and study records, or help with any section of an existing manuscript, from the abstract and methods to the results and discussion.

Coordinate submission and peer review

We help select a suitable journal, prepare the cover letter and submission materials, and coordinate submission, revisions and point-by-point responses to reviewers. We can support editorial correspondence and proof review with the corresponding author’s approval.

Credit and authorship. Co-authorship is not a condition of working with Elpida BioPharm. Where the contribution qualifies for acknowledgement, crediting Elpida BioPharm and specifying its contribution in the Acknowledgements is sufficient. Authorship and disclosures reflect actual contributions and follow the journal’s policies. The authors approve the manuscript and responses to reviewers.

Questions before we start

What to share, how we design and scope the study, and what to expect from the results.

Getting started

What preclinical CRO services does Elpida BioPharm offer in Greece?

We design and coordinate contract research in Thessaloniki, Greece. Our preclinical research services cover formulation and drug delivery, pharmacokinetics and biodistribution, efficacy in disease models, exploratory toxicology, and medical device and biomaterial evaluation.

What should we send for an initial discussion?

A short, non-confidential summary is enough to start. Tell us what you are developing, its intended use, what evidence you already have, the decision you need to make and any deadlines.

Can you help if we have a research question but no protocol?

Yes. We can help define what needs to be established, identify suitable models and outcomes, and turn the question into a study brief.

Can we commission a single study or a phased programme?

You can commission a stand-alone study, such as a candidate comparison or feasibility assessment. For a broader programme, we can organise studies around review points that determine what proceeds.

Can you build on studies we have already run?

Yes. We review relevant reports and data summaries to see what the evidence already supports, which results can be compared and which gaps the new work should address.

Study design & models

How do you select a preclinical disease model and study endpoints?

We start with the intended use, mechanism, available evidence and the decision ahead. We select the simplest suitable model, assess its limitations and agree on outcomes that can answer the question.

Can we start with in vitro testing before an in vivo study?

Yes, where a cell-based approach can address the question. A focused feasibility study can help select a candidate, refine the next endpoint or clarify whether animal work is justified.

Can you compare several candidates, formulations or prototypes?

Yes. We agree on comparators and criteria for choosing what advances. The report explains the trade-offs, including when the results do not support a clear choice.

Can you integrate efficacy, exposure and tolerability?

Where the study allows, we plan complementary assessments and interpret them together. If the questions call for different models or stages, we propose how to sequence the work.

Scope, timing & cost

What is included in the proposal?

The proposal sets out the study question, work plan, responsibilities, expected deliverables, timing and cost. It also identifies dependencies such as materials, facility availability and approvals.

What determines the timeline?

Timing depends on model and facility availability, whether an assay is already suitable, when materials arrive and what approvals or analysis are needed. We identify the steps that affect the start date during scoping.

How is the cost estimated?

The estimate reflects the scope, number of candidates and endpoints, model, analytical work and reporting requirements. If key assumptions are still open, we can scope a feasibility phase or compare a focused option with a broader one.

What happens if the scope changes?

We review how the proposed change affects the study question, deliverables, timing and budget with you before the additional work is agreed.

Facilities, approvals & materials

Where is the work carried out?

We identify the proposed facility and who will carry out each part of the work during scoping. If several teams or sites are involved, we define their roles and how we will review the results together.

How do you handle ethics review for animal studies?

We prepare the protocol and supporting documents, coordinate submission to the ethics committee for the facility where the study will be conducted, and handle follow-up and revisions. See ethics review and project authorisation for our planning estimate.

Can you support studies that require Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)?

Tell us during the initial discussion. Before confirming the work, we identify the proposed test facility and verify the compliance scope applicable to that study.

What materials and documentation do you need?

Depending on the study, we may need test articles, comparators, material specifications and handling information. We agree on quantities, shipping and any documentation before materials are sent.

Data, samples & confidentiality

What data and reports will we receive?

We agree on deliverables before the study. Depending on scope, these can include agreed datasets, analysis files or figures, and a report covering the results, limitations and recommended next steps.

Can we agree on data formats and access to raw data?

Yes. Specify the files, formats or level of detail your team needs during scoping. We can also discuss practical arrangements for remaining samples and materials at that stage.

Can we discuss an NDA before sharing confidential information?

Yes. Start with a non-confidential summary. If more detail is needed, we can discuss a confidentiality agreement and how materials and information would be shared.

How are intellectual property and publication handled?

Bring up background IP, project-generated results, use rights and any publication plans while we scope the work. The applicable terms should be agreed in writing before work begins.

Reviewing results & next steps

Can you help publish results from a study we have already completed?

Yes. We can work from an existing dataset, a draft manuscript or a reviewer decision letter. Our scientific writing and publication support can cover the full manuscript and submission process or any individual stage.

Will we see results during the project?

We agree on progress updates and review points in the proposal. For phased work, interim results can inform whether the next stage should proceed or whether the plan needs to change.

What if the results are negative or inconclusive?

We discuss what the data support, whether study limitations affected interpretation and what a repeat or revised study could clarify. We also identify when the results support stopping.

Can you help plan the next development step?

Yes. We can review the evidence with you, identify remaining gaps and prioritise follow-up work. If the data will support a formal submission, tell us early so the intended use and applicable requirements can shape the scope.

Can Elpida coordinate with our existing lab or CRO?

We can discuss a shared plan that defines who is responsible for each part of the study, how work is handed over and how results from different sites will be compared.

Tell us what you need to decide

Share what you are developing, what you already know and what you need to learn next. We can discuss the study scope, facility, deliverables and timeline.

Discuss your project