Summit Clinical Research
Summit Clinical Research is a privately held Integrated Research Organization (IRO) that runs therapeutically focused clinical trials in MASH/MASLD, obesity, and Alzheimer's for pharma and biotech sponsors, operating a 120+ site network across 9 countries and delivering site support, recruitment, biostatistics, and medical communications services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSan Antonio, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Summit Clinical Research does
Summit Clinical Research is a privately held Integrated Research Organization (IRO) headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 2018 by Dr. Stephen Harrison and Gail Hinkson to accelerate clinical trial execution in metabolic liver disease. The company specializes in therapeutically focused clinical research services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors, with a core concentration in Steatotic Liver Disease (MASH/MASLD), and an expanding footprint in obesity and Alzheimer's disease. Summit operates a curated network of 120+ research sites across 9 countries (United States, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom) and reports 70+ sponsors, 60+ projects, 71 trials, and 5,701+ enrolled patients since inception.
Summit's core technology and service portfolio comprises seven integrated offerings: Clinical Research Support Services (site recruitment, study oversight, expedited start-up), Site Support Services (operational, KOL, HR/staffing, quality control support), Central Recruitment and Retention Services (running on a customizable patient engagement platform with embedded pre-screening questionnaires), the Center of Learning (medical education and scientific communications), Biostatistics and Statistical Programming (SDTM/ADaM, regulatory submissions), Medical Sciences (clinical and medical support across SLD/obesity/Alzheimer's), and a Therapeutic Area Preceptorship Program. The platform is differentiated by a customizable pre-screening and patient engagement layer rather than proprietary AI/ML infrastructure; AI capability is sourced primarily through the 2021 PathAI partnership for digital pathology in NASH trials. Revenue is generated on a project-based, multi-year professional services model with quote-based pricing negotiated directly with sponsors.
The company is privately held following a 2022 private equity investment from LongueVue Capital and operates as a Texas LLC. In May 2026, Summit unified with Pinnacle Clinical Research under the Summit Clinical Research Solutions master brand, creating five coordinated platforms: Pinnacle (14-site owned research network), Elevation (IRO services and global partner-site network), Apogee (centralized patient recruitment), Ascend (medical communications), and Apex (early-phase CRO). The company's go-to-market is enterprise field sales combined with a community-led KOL engagement model, anchored by Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Mazen Noureddin and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Naim Alkhouri, and supported by participation across EASL, AASLD, SCOPE, MASH-TAG, Obesity Week, and AD/PD conferences.
Summit Clinical Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Summit Clinical Research
- Legal name
- Summit Clinical Research, LLC
- Website
- https://summitclinicalresearch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Summit Clinical Research is a privately held Integrated Research Organization (IRO) that runs therapeutically focused clinical trials in MASH/MASLD, obesity, and Alzheimer's for pharma and biotech sponsors, operating a 120+ site network across 9 countries and delivering site support, recruitment, biostatistics, and medical communications services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Summit Clinical Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Clinical Research Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE), Clinical Site Start-Up & Activation (Regulatory/Ethics/Contracts) (HLAGACAC)
Keywords
Where Summit Clinical Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Antonio
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Summit Clinical Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Clinical Research Services: Summit Clinical Research provides comprehensive clinical research support services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on a project/fee-for-service basis. Services include scientific and logistical consultation, study oversight, site enrichment services, and patient recruitment support for clinical trials. Revenue is generated through service contracts with drug sponsors for trial execution.
- Medical Education and Communications Services: The Center of Learning provides medical education and communications services to sponsors and industry partners. Services include strategic development, scientific communication, evidence generation, digital multichannel solutions, social media, external engagement, scientific writing, and education and training.
- Biostatistics and Statistical Programming Services: Dedicated biostatistics and statistical programming services tailored specifically for sponsors engaged in SLD, Obesity, and Alzheimer's studies. Services include protocol review, SDTM/ADaM dataset creation, statistical analysis plan development, and regulatory submission support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom project-based pricing for clinical research services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels10 records
Summit Clinical Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Summit Clinical Research is an Integrated Research Organization (IRO) that delivers comprehensive clinical research services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including scientific and logistical consultation, study oversight, site enrichment, patient recruitment and retention, biostatistics, and medical education. The company specializes in Steatotic Liver Disease (MASH/MASLD), obesity, and Alzheimer's disease, operating a vetted global site network of 120+ research sites across 9 countries as the delivery backbone for sponsor trials.
Product overview
Summit Clinical Research Solutions is a unified integrated clinical research organization comprising five coordinated platforms: Pinnacle (a 14-site integrated research network), Elevation (IRO services and global partner-site network), Apogee (centralized patient recruitment), Ascend (medical communications), and Apex (early-phase CRO). The organization provides a comprehensive suite of clinical research services including clinical research support, site support, central recruitment, medical education (Center of Learning), biostatistics, medical sciences, and preceptorship programs. Summit focuses on therapeutic areas including Steatotic Liver Disease (MASH/MASLD), obesity, and Alzheimer's disease, with a network spanning 120+ sites across 8 countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Pinnacle: A 14-site integrated research network recognized for leadership in MASH, metabolic disease, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and other complex therapeutic areas.
- Elevation
- Apogee
- Ascend
- Apex
- Cirrhosis Advisory Board
Products and services
- Clinical Research Support Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Summit sites account for 12-26% of sites but contribute 25-44% of screens and enrollments in MASH trials
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Summit Clinical Research
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Summit Clinical Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Summit Clinical Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, strategic and core.
- Pinnacle Clinical ResearchflagshipSummit Clinical Research and Pinnacle Clinical Research unified under Summit Clinical Research Solutions in May 2026, creating a fully integrated clinical research platform. The combined organization delivers unified ecosystem spanning site operations, partner-site networks, patient recruitment, medical communications, and early phase CRO services. Pinnacle operates 14 sites and has been a significant contributor, accounting for approximately 25% of trial sites and 40%+ of enrolled patients.
- NAIL-NIT ConsortiumstrategicSummit Clinical Research collaborated with the NAIL-NIT Consortium to present groundbreaking data at the EASL Conference from over 5,000 patients combined from multiple clinical trials. This collaboration supports data generation and scientific advancement in liver disease research.
- AlimentivstrategicAlimentiv and Summit Clinical Research announced a collaboration in November 2022 to drive Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) clinical trials. This partnership combines Alimentiv's therapeutic expertise with Summit's site network and operational capabilities.
- PathAIstrategicPathAI and Summit Clinical Research launched a comprehensive NASH clinical trial services solution in September 2021 to optimize trial success. The partnership integrates PathAI's AI-powered pathology solutions with Summit's site network and operational expertise.
- Houston Methodist HospitalcoreDr. Joseph Galati, Medical Director of the Sherrie and Alan Conover Center for Liver Disease & Transplantation at Houston Methodist Hospital, joined Pinnacle Clinical Research and Summit Clinical Research to expand liver research in Houston. This partnership strengthens clinical trial capabilities at the Texas Medical Center.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Summit Clinical Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ICON plc: ICON is one of the largest global CROs (formed via PRA Health Sciences acquisition) with extensive biotech/sponsor relationships that overlap with Summit's MASH/obesity customer base.
- Syneos Health: Syneos is a large biopharmaceutical services organization combining CRO and commercial capabilities, with a broad therapeutic portfolio that overlaps with Summit's sponsor target market.
- IQVIA: IQVIA is the largest global CRO with end-to-end clinical development services and proprietary data assets, setting the competitive ceiling and pricing benchmark for specialized IROs like Summit.
- Medpace Holdings: Medpace is a profitable, mid-sized full-service CRO that increasingly competes in metabolic and liver disease trials, offering a broader Phase I-IV footprint than Summit.
Direct peers
- Elligo Health Research: Elligo is a direct IRO peer that combines a site network with research services to accelerate clinical trials for sponsors, operating a comparable model to Summit's integrated approach.
- Worldwide Clinical Trials: Worldwide is a mid-size global CRO with strong therapeutic expertise in metabolic and CNS diseases, competing for the same MASH, obesity, and Alzheimer's trial mandates as Summit.
- Advanced Clinical: Advanced Clinical is a mid-size CRO providing clinical research services across multiple therapeutic areas, comparable in scale to Summit and competing for similar biotech sponsor mandates.
- Alimentiv: Alimentiv is a strategic partner of Summit in NASH trials and a comparable GI/hepatology-focused CRO with therapeutic-area expertise and a site network serving similar sponsors.
- Velocity Clinical Research: Velocity operates an integrated site network offering Phase II-IV clinical trial services across multiple therapeutic areas, mirroring Summit's site-network + central-services model.
Emerging players
- Clario: Clario provides clinical trial endpoint technology and decentralized trial services, often partnering with or competing against IROs like Summit on data quality and patient-centric trial delivery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Summit Clinical Research social profiles
Digital presenceSummit Clinical Research compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Summit Clinical Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Summit Clinical Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Summit Clinical Research subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Summit Clinical Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Summit Clinical Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Summit Clinical Research
What does Summit Clinical Research do?
Summit Clinical Research is an Integrated Research Organization (IRO) that delivers comprehensive clinical research services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including scientific and logistical consultation, study oversight, site enrichment, patient recruitment and retention, biostatistics, and medical education. The company specializes in Steatotic Liver Disease (MASH/MASLD), obesity, and Alzheimer's disease, operating a vetted global site network of 120+ research sites across 9 countries as the delivery backbone for sponsor trials.
Is Summit Clinical Research a public or private company?
Summit Clinical Research is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Summit Clinical Research founded?
Summit Clinical Research was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Summit Clinical Research based?
Summit Clinical Research is headquartered in San Antonio, United States, in the North America region.
How does Summit Clinical Research make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Clinical Research Services are the primary driver. The others are medical Education and Communications Services and biostatistics and Statistical Programming Services.
Who are Summit Clinical Research's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ICON plc, Syneos Health, IQVIA and Medpace Holdings. Direct peers are Elligo Health Research, Worldwide Clinical Trials, Advanced Clinical, Alimentiv and Velocity Clinical Research. Clario is listed as an emerging player.
Does Summit Clinical Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for Summit Clinical Research.
What industry is Summit Clinical Research in?
Summit Clinical Research's product category is Clinical Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAAAA, Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV), with a secondary code of HLAGACAE, Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination. Its NAICS code is 54171 and its SIC code is 8731.