Carolina Urologic Research Center

What Carolina Urologic Research Center does

Carolina Urologic Research Center (CURC), now operating as START Carolinas, is a Phase I oncology clinical research site founded in 1998 by Neal Shore, MD, FACS and headquartered at 823 82nd Parkway, Suite B, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The site specializes in early-phase clinical trials for genitourinary cancers — prostate, bladder, and renal — and has conducted nearly 500 national and international trials over 25 years. It operates as a regional center within The START Center for Cancer Research (START Research) global network, which spans eight U.S. sites and multiple European locations and supports more than 100,000 square feet of research facilities network-wide.

The site delivers an integrated Phase I service stack: dedicated treatment infrastructure (treatment chairs, infusion pumps, EKG and vital-signs monitoring, ACLS-certified staff and crash cart); an on-site Investigational Drug Section with biological safety cabinets, pharmaceutical-grade -20C and -80C freezers, secure medication storage with continuous temperature monitoring, and closed-system transfer devices; a Pharmacokinetics department handling biopsy specimens, centrifuges, IATA-certified shipping, and specialty processing for biomarkers, PBMCs, DNA, and hair follicles; and a Regulatory Affairs & Data Management function experienced with Medidata RAVE, InForm, Tempo, and DataTrak, with stated 10-business-day data entry and 5-business-day query resolution SLAs. Staff hold NIDA-aligned GCP and Protection of Human Research Subjects training, refreshed every three years. The bench includes a named founder-principal investigator and eight clinical investigators, supported by 20+ full-time research staff.

Revenue is generated through professional-services contracts with pharmaceutical companies executing Phase I oncology trials; the entity serves as a research site providing patient enrollment, treatment administration, specimen handling, data capture, and regulatory compliance. Customer concentration sits with pharma sponsors (B2B), while downstream beneficiaries are genitourinary cancer patients, referring urologists and oncologists, and partner hospitals and oncology practices acquired via direct outreach, the START Hope Hub patient portal, and physician referral networks. Pricing is contracted and not publicly disclosed. CURC is privately held; in 2025 it was rebranded under the START Network, and a strategic partnership with Baptist Health South Florida was announced to broaden early-phase trial access.

Name

Carolina Urologic Research Center

Legal name

Carolina Urologic Research Center

Website

https://carolinaurologicresearchcenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carolina Urologic Research Center, operating as START Carolinas, is a Myrtle Beach-based Phase I oncology clinical research site specializing in genitourinary cancer trials, serving pharmaceutical sponsors and cancer patients as part of The START Center for Cancer Research network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services (Oncology / Phase I)

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), 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), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Site Start-Up & Activation (Regulatory/Ethics/Contracts) (HLAGACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Urologic Oncology (HLAKAOAB)

Keywords

• Clinical research services
• Oncology clinical trials
• Phase I trials
• Genitourinary research
• Clinical research site

Headquarters

HQ city

Myrtle Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Clinical Trial Services for Pharmaceutical Companies: Revenue is generated through contracts with pharmaceutical companies to conduct Phase I clinical trials focused on genitourinary oncology (prostate, bladder, and renal cancers). The organization serves as a research site providing patient enrollment, treatment administration, data collection, and regulatory compliance services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Carolina Urologic Research Center, operating as START Carolinas, is a clinical research site that contracts with pharmaceutical sponsors to conduct Phase I oncology clinical trials focused on genitourinary cancers (prostate, bladder, and renal). Service delivery is fully integrated on a single Myrtle Beach site, including treatment administration, an Investigational Drug Section pharmacy, pharmacokinetics specimen processing, regulatory submissions, and electronic data capture, serving both pharma sponsors and cancer patient participants.

Product overview

START Carolinas (formerly Carolina Urologic Research Center) is a clinical research center offering a unified suite of early-phase oncology clinical trial services. The core offering is clinical trial conduct for genitourinary cancers, supported by integrated Phase I services including an Investigational Drug Section (IDS) for pharmacy operations, Pharmacokinetics (PK) for specimen processing and analysis, and Regulatory Affairs & Data Management for compliance and electronic data capture. The site also provides access to the START Hope Hub patient portal. The organization has conducted nearly 500 clinical trials over 25 years and serves as part of the larger START (The START Center for Cancer Research) network of research centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• START Carolinas Clinical Trial Services A clinical research center offering contracted Phase I oncology clinical trial services focused on genitourinary (GU) cancers including prostate, bladder, and renal cancers. The site has conducted nearly 500 national and international clinical trials over 25 years and serves as a dedicated Phase I clinic with on-site pharmacy, pharmacokinetics laboratory, regulatory affairs, and data management for pharmaceutical sponsors and patient participants.
• Phase I Clinical Trials Dedicated Phase I clinical trial services with a treatment room including exam rooms, treatment chairs, infusion pumps, and local laboratory services; includes 1 triage/blood draw station, 1 procedure room, and 2 treatment/exam rooms with infusion chairs and beds.
• Investigational Drug Section (IDS) On-site pharmacy services supporting Phase I clinical trials, including a biological safety cabinet, secure medication storage with continuous temperature monitoring, pharmaceutical-grade -20C and -80C freezers, refrigerators, and closed system transfer devices for hazardous drug preparation following storage, handling, and preparation instructions.
• Pharmacokinetics (PK) Department Pharmacokinetics specimen processing services for clinical trials, including biopsy specimen handling, laboratory equipment with centrifuges and freezers, IATA-certified shipping capabilities, archival specimen processing, and specialty lab specimen handling for biomarkers, PBMCs, DNA, and hair follicle specimens.
• Regulatory Affairs & Data Management Regulatory submission support including IRB submission requirements and protocol management, plus Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training programs. Data management is delivered by dedicated Clinical Research Assistants with experience across multiple EDC systems including Medidata RAVE, InForm, Tempo, and DataTrak, with a 10 business day data entry timeline and 5 business day query resolution timeline.
• START Hope Hub (Patient Portal) Patient-facing portal designed to help patients understand, explore, and enroll in early-phase oncology trials. Guides patients through the clinical trial process with clinical trial search functionality, patient stories, advocacy group resources, and a dedicated Referring Physicians section for healthcare providers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 500 clinical trials conducted over 25 years demonstrating consistent operational excellence

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Baptist Health South FloridacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership announced to expand patient access to early-phase cancer trials. Baptist Health South Florida and The START Center for Cancer Research announced this partnership to broaden access to innovative cancer treatments through clinical trials.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sarah Cannon Research Institute: One of the largest community-based oncology clinical research programs in the U.S., conducting Phase I oncology trials across multiple tumor types. Comparable as a multi-site Phase I oncology trial operator serving pharma sponsors, though with broader therapeutic scope than the GU-focused Carolinas site.
• US Oncology Research (McKesson): Network of community oncology sites conducting Phase I–IV oncology clinical trials for pharma sponsors. Comparable as a high-volume oncology clinical trial site operator with similar B2B pharma-services business model, though it spans many tumor types rather than GU-only.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center - Clinical Trials: Top-tier AMC running a high-volume Phase I oncology trial program including urologic cancers. Comparable as a sponsor-facing Phase I trial site for GU oncology, competing for the same pharma contracts but with a much larger academic infrastructure.
• MD Anderson Cancer Center - Clinical Trials Office: Premier academic medical center running one of the largest Phase I oncology trial portfolios globally, including GU oncology. Competes for the same sponsor GU trials as START Carolinas, with the prestige advantage of AMC affiliation but slower startup and higher costs.

Direct peers

• Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute: Large community oncology practice with an embedded Phase I clinical trial program serving pharmaceutical sponsors across multiple tumor types. Comparable as a private-practice-rooted Phase I oncology trial site with similar patient-enrollment-driven model.
• The START Center for Cancer Research (parent network) - START San Antonio: The flagship site of the same network as Carolina Urologic Research Center; conducts Phase I oncology clinical trials with the same operating model, sponsor relationships, and central infrastructure (Hope Hub, EDC, regulatory), but based in San Antonio and covering a broader oncology portfolio.
• Translational Research in Oncology (TRIO): Global oncology-focused clinical research organization conducting early-phase oncology trials across multiple sites. Comparable as a sponsor-facing Phase I oncology CRO with multi-site operations; competes for similar pharma contracts though with broader geographic and therapeutic reach.
• START Midwest: Sibling site within the same START Center for Cancer Research network, operating with identical infrastructure, SOPs, and EDC tooling. Effectively the same business model in a different geography; relevant as the most direct internal comparability for benchmarking trial throughput and sponsor mix.

Emerging players

• New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (NYCBS): Multi-site community oncology practice that has expanded into early-phase clinical trials. Comparable as a private-practice-affiliated oncology trial site competing for pharma-sponsored Phase I studies, though its GU oncology depth is lower than START Carolinas.

Regional players

• Carolina BioOncology Institute: Community oncology research site based in the Carolinas that runs Phase I oncology trials. Geographically overlapping with START Carolinas, offering the most direct regional competition for GU oncology patient referrals and sponsor trials in the Carolinas market.

Market position

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CURCMB
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61557646854073
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-start-center-for-cancer-research/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Carolina Urologic Research Center