Oncodesign Services and Nexus BioQuest have formed a partnership designed to connect complementary in vitro and in vivo capabilities, giving biotech companies a clearer route to specialist preclinical expertise as their development programs advance. Announced in Dijon, France – 16 September, 2026, the collaboration brings together Nexus BioQuest’s human-relevant in vitro capabilities and Oncodesign Services’ three decades of experience in in vivo pharmacology. The two organizations share experience across oncology, inflammation and autoimmunity and will contribute complementary scientific approaches within individual development programs. The arrangement is particularly intended to support biotech companies with compact internal teams by providing access to specialist capabilities from either organization as scientific requirements change. Clients can, where appropriate, bring both teams into discussions around preclinical study requirements while continuing to choose the studies and providers that fit their individual programs.
Nexus BioQuest contributes expertise in human primary cell-based immunology, with translational 2D and 3D models incorporating immune cells and relevant tissue targets, alongside validated and bespoke assay development across immuno-oncology, inflammation and autoimmunity. Oncodesign Services provides syngeneic, patient-derived xenograft (PDX), cell-derived xenograft (CDX) and humanized immune system in vivo models, as well as inflammatory disease models, radiopharmaceuticals and preclinical imaging. Together, these capabilities provide biotech teams with access to different forms of preclinical evidence that can support decision-making as scientific needs develop. Endometriosis provides a proof-of-concept for the joint approach and represents an emerging therapeutic area for immune targeting drugs within the broader women’s health and inflammation space. Given the highly complex, multifactorial nature of endometriosis, Nexus BioQuest’s in vitro primary cell inflammatory models can complement Oncodesign Services’ validated in vivo endometriosis models, which assess pathophysiological endpoints including lesion development, fibrosis and inflammatory responses.
Aidan Synnott, CEO at Oncodesign Services, said: “For biotech teams, the challenge is often not finding another CRO, but finding the right expertise for the scientific question they need to answer next.
“We know the Nexus BioQuest team and the quality of its science, which means we can make an introduction with confidence when a program needs capabilities outside of our specialist scope. The same applies in the other direction. For researchers, it provides a route to another specialist team without having to start that search from scratch. Our goal is to help minimize the uncertainty and risk that go hand-in-hand with limited funds and timelines.” Both organizations also emphasize close scientific collaboration with clients and the ability to adapt study approaches when new questions arise during a program. Will Parish, CEO at Nexus BioQuest, said: “Early drug discovery rarely comes down to a single experiment or model. There are points where you need to understand what is happening in a human-relevant in vitro system and others where an in vivo model can provide a different level of insight.
“Having access to trusted specialist expertise in both areas gives biotech teams a clearer route to the support they need at different points in preclinical development, helping them make more informed decisions about where to place their work.”
Recommendations under the partnership will be determined by the scientific requirements of each program and the areas where the partner organizations can provide the most relevant capabilities. The approach is intended to give clients informed choices while maintaining full control over which provider they engage and how their program is staged. By connecting the two organizations’ complementary capabilities, the partnership provides biotech teams with a clearer route to specialist preclinical expertise as their scientific requirements evolve.
