Cancer Research And Biostatistics

What Cancer Research And Biostatistics does

Cancer Research And Biostatistics (CRAB) is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1997 that provides biostatistics, data management, and bioinformatics services for oncology clinical trials. The organization functions as a Statistics and Data Management Center (SDMC) for major cancer research consortia, with its anchor relationship being SWOG Cancer Research Network, alongside engagements with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), Friends of Cancer Research, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.

CRAB's core technology asset is its proprietary CRAB Nebula™ Electronic Data Capture (EDC) platform, used to capture, clean, and analyze clinical trial data. The organization also operates the 9th edition lung cancer staging database, which aggregates pathology and outcomes data from approximately 125,000 patients across 25 countries, and serves as the Independent Analysis Center for the ctMoniTR (circulating tumor DNA Molecular Residual Disease) initiative spanning Steps 1 and 2. Infrastructure is built to regulatory standards including 21 CFR Part 11 compliance for FDA-aligned submissions.

CRAB's revenue model is diversified across three primary channels: federal grants (primarily NCI/NIH cooperative agreements underwriting SDMC operations), biopharma clinical trial contracts (including AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, Merck, Roche Diagnostics, Guardant Health, and Jazz Pharmaceuticals), and philanthropic donations. The organization employs roughly 75–80 oncology research professionals and has supported more than 300 clinical trials over its operating history.

Name

Cancer Research And Biostatistics

Legal name

Cancer Research And Biostatistics

Website

https://crab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cancer Research And Biostatistics (CRAB) is a Seattle-based non-profit biostatistics and data management organization providing statistical analysis, EDC platforms (CRAB Nebula™), and clinical trial infrastructure for oncology consortia and biopharma sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. NIH-Funded Research Contracts: CRAB operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization receiving substantial funding through NIH grants and cooperative agreements, particularly as the Statistics and Data Management Center for SWOG Cancer Research Network and other NIH-funded projects.
2. Pharmaceutical and Biotech Clinical Trial Services: Revenue from providing biostatistics, data management, and clinical trial design services directly to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies conducting clinical trials.
3. Research Consortia Partnerships: Services provided to research consortia and nonprofit organizations including Friends of Cancer Research and IASLC for staging projects and ctDNA monitoring studies.
4. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) public charity, CRAB receives tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations supporting cancer research.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CRAB is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit clinical research organization that designs and manages oncology clinical trials, providing biostatistics, electronic data capture (via its proprietary CRAB Nebula™ EDC system), data management, Data Monitoring Committee services, and central monitoring for cancer researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and NIH-funded projects such as the SWOG Cancer Research Network.

Product overview

Cancer Research And Biostatistics (CRAB) offers a portfolio of clinical trial services centered on its proprietary CRAB Nebula™ Electronic Data Capture (EDC) system, complemented by biostatistics, data management, DMC services, central monitoring, and training. CRAB Nebula™ provides customizable eCRFs, randomization, data visualization, and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance for cancer clinical trials. The company also publishes the Handbook of Statistics in Clinical Oncology as an educational resource. Services range from study design through publication, supporting Phase I-III trials across cancer research institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and NIH-funded networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CRAB Nebula™: Proprietary Electronic Data Capture (EDC) system developed by CRAB for securely capturing, storing, analyzing, and reporting clinical trial data. Includes features such as customizable eCRFs, randomization (IWRS), data visualization, edit checks, and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.

Products and services

• CRAB Nebula™
• Biostatistics Services
• Data Management Services
• Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) Services
• Central Monitoring Services
• Training Services
• Handbook of Statistics in Clinical Oncology

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ adult clinical trials supported with decades of Phase III multi-institutional trial experience
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Friends of Cancer ResearchflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2019CRAB serves as the Independent Analysis Center (IAC) for the ctMoniTR project studying circulating tumor DNA as a monitoring tool for evaluating tumor response. Step 1 involved 5 datasets from 10 pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies. Step 2 expanded to include nearly 25 pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies and academic institutions.
• SWOG Cancer Research NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRAB, in partnership with Fred Hutch, operates as the Statistics and Data Management Center (SDMC) for SWOG, a global cancer research community of over 12,000 members in 47 states and six foreign countries. CRAB is responsible for data management and electronic data capture for all SWOG trials under the leadership of Antje Hoering, PhD.
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SWOG Statistics and Data Management Center is co-located at Fred Hutch and CRAB. Employees of both organizations work in close collaboration on clinical trial builds, data management, and biostatistical analysis. CRAB CEO Antje Hoering holds affiliate appointments at Fred Hutch.
• International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRAB has been an integral collaborator with IASLC since the late 1990s. CRAB gathers and analyzes data on lung cancer cases using CRAB Nebula™ EDC system for TNM classification projects including the 7th, 8th, and 9th editions covering lung cancer, mesothelioma, and thymic malignancies.
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWOG is one of five U.S.-based NCI-supported Network Groups within the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) and one of seven Research Bases for NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP).
• Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWOG is headquartered at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR, and its Network Operations Center is located in San Antonio, Texas.
• AstraZenecaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed datasets to the ctMoniTR Step 1 project studying ctDNA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer treated with immunotherapies.
• Bristol-Myers SquibbminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed datasets to the ctMoniTR Step 1 project studying ctDNA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer treated with immunotherapies.
• GenentechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed datasets to the ctMoniTR Step 1 project studying ctDNA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer treated with immunotherapies.
• Guardant HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed datasets to the ctMoniTR Step 1 project studying ctDNA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer treated with immunotherapies.
• Johns Hopkins UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed datasets to the ctMoniTR Step 1 project studying ctDNA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer treated with immunotherapies.
• MerckminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed datasets to the ctMoniTR Step 1 project studying ctDNA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer treated with immunotherapies.
• Roche DiagnosticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed datasets to the ctMoniTR Step 1 project studying ctDNA in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer treated with immunotherapies.
• U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the ctMoniTR Step 1 project studying whether changes in circulating tumor DNA reflect treatment response in NSCLC.
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Myeloma CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRAB collaborated with the University of Arkansas Myeloma Center for over 20 years designing clinical trials, performing analysis and reporting of studies, and developing a gene expression profiling risk score.
• Celator Pharmaceuticals (now Jazz Pharmaceuticals)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRAB biostatisticians served as statistical consultants for a successful randomized Phase 3 study in high-risk secondary AML that enrolled over 300 patients and met its primary objective of showing superior survival.
• University of Washington Biostatistics DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeveral CRAB senior biostatisticians and CEO Antje Hoering hold affiliate appointments at the University of Washington Biostatistics Department.
• Oregon Health and Science UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeveral CRAB senior biostatisticians hold affiliate appointments at OHSU.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Medrio: Mid-market EDC and eClinical platform competing for clinical trial data capture workloads. Comparable to CRAB Nebula™ as a specialized, smaller EDC vendor targeting clinical trial use cases.

Broad incumbents

• ICON plc: Major global CRO providing biostatistics, data management, and EDC services across therapeutic areas including oncology. Broadly comparable service offering to CRAB but at vastly larger scale following PRA Health Sciences integration.
• Medidata Solutions: Industry-leading EDC (Rave) and clinical trial technology platform owned by Dassault Systèmes. CRAB explicitly integrates with Medidata Rave and competes indirectly via its own Nebula EDC for oncology trials.
• IQVIA: Global full-service CRO with extensive oncology biostatistics, data management, and EDC capabilities. Competes with CRAB for pharmaceutical clinical trial services at much larger scale.
• Oracle Health Sciences (Clinical One / InForm): Enterprise EDC and clinical trial platform competing with CRAB Nebula™ and used widely across pharma-sponsored trials; CRAB operates alongside this broader ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Berry Consultants: Statistical consultancy specializing in Bayesian and adaptive clinical trial design across multiple therapeutic areas. Comparable to CRAB as a specialized, statistics-first CRO serving late-phase pharmaceutical trials.
• Axio Research: Seattle-based biostatistics and clinical data management CRO supporting pharma, biotech, and academic studies. Direct competitor to CRAB in oncology and other therapeutic biostatistics services with comparable size and service mix.
• BioStat Solutions: Biostatistics and statistical programming services firm supporting pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic clinical trials. Directly comparable to CRAB in offering study design, analysis, and regulatory biostatistics.

Regional players

• National Cancer Institute (NCI) / NCTN Statistics Centers: Other NCI-supported statistics and data management centers within the National Clinical Trials Network (e.g., ECOG-ACRIN, Alliance, NRG, COG) operate in the same cooperative-group SDMC role as CRAB does for SWOG, competing indirectly for cooperative group statistical center designations.

Others

• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center: Co-located partner and host of SWOG Statistics and Data Management Center alongside CRAB. Comparable as an academic cancer biostatistics organization and a critical operational counterpart rather than a commercial competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cancer-research-and-biostatistics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cancer Research And Biostatistics