National Clinical Research

What National Clinical Research does

National Clinical Research, Inc. (NCR) is a privately held, dedicated multispecialty clinical research site headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, conducting Phase II-IV clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors. Founded in 1995 by Dr. James M. McKenney, who transitioned his research program from Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia into the private sector, NCR has operated continuously for 30 years and has contributed to the FDA approvals of LEQEMBI (lecanemab, January 6, 2023) and KISUNLA (donanemab, July 2, 2024). The company maintains an 11-50 employee footprint, operates from a single facility at 2809 Emerywood Parkway, and is led by CEO Kristen M. Sale (joined 1997) and CMO Dr. John Keith Scott.

NCR's product portfolio is centered on clinical trial conduct services spanning eleven therapeutic areas (allergy, cardiovascular, CNS, dermatology, endocrinology, GI, pediatrics, rheumatology, urology, vaccines, and women's health), with a branded Alzheimer's Research Center sub-brand consolidating anti-amyloid, anti-tau, combination therapy, and memory prescreening offerings. Recent active programs include Roche's Trontinemab and Gantenerumab, Eli Lilly's Remternetug and Donanemab, Eisai's Lecanemab and E2814, Biogen's Aducanumab, Novo Nordisk's semaglutide EVOKE, Bristol Myers Squibb's BMS-986446 anti-tau study, and obesity programs featuring CagriSema and GLP-1 comparators. Dr. McKenney has personally conducted 1,000+ clinical trials and authored 200+ peer-reviewed publications; Dr. Scott has served as investigator on 300+ trials.

NCR generates revenue through professional services contracts with pharmaceutical sponsors, monetizing per-patient fees, study milestones, and contract research agreements for protocol execution, investigator oversight, patient enrollment, and data collection at the Richmond site. Patient recruitment is sourced from a website with interest forms and memory testing tools, physician referrals (notably from Commonwealth Primary Care's 50+ provider network), and organic social channels. Patients receive all medical care, imaging, and investigational medication at no cost and may be compensated for time and travel. NCR operates with no proprietary technology platforms, no external funding, no parent company, and no M&A history; competitive positioning rests on the founder's reputation, investigator tenure, and a 37-year sponsor relationship track record rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

National Clinical Research

Legal name

National Clinical Research, Inc.

Website

https://ncrinc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Clinical Research is a private, multispecialty clinical trial site in Richmond, Virginia, conducting Phase II-IV trials for pharmaceutical sponsors across Alzheimer's, obesity, vaccines, and eleven therapeutic areas, serving patients and major drug developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Clinical Development (Phase I–III Trial Design & Execution) (HLAIALAE)

Keywords

• Clinical trial services
• Phase II-IV trials
• Alzheimer's research
• Vaccine clinical trials
• Clinical research center

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

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 Contracts: NCR generates revenue by conducting clinical trials for pharmaceutical and biotech companies (sponsors). The company executes phase II-IV trials under contract, providing research site facilities, physician investigators, coordinators, patient enrollment, and data collection services. Revenue is derived from per-patient fees, study milestone payments, and contract research agreements with drug developers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Clinical Research is a dedicated multispecialty clinical research site that conducts Phase II-IV clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors. It provides investigator sites, physician investigators, study coordinators, patient recruitment, and data collection across therapeutic areas including Alzheimer's disease, obesity/metabolic disorders, vaccines, pediatrics, and other specialties. Patients receive free medical evaluations and access to investigational medications, while sponsors obtain experienced site execution under contract research agreements.

Product overview

National Clinical Research operates as a multi-specialty clinical trial conduct organization offering a unified service portfolio centered on phase II-IV clinical trial execution for pharmaceutical sponsors. The core offering is their clinical trial conduct services, which is supplemented by specialized research centers including the Alzheimer's Research Center (with sub-products for memory testing and anti-amyloid/anti-tau therapies), weight loss clinical studies, vaccine studies, and multi-therapeutic area research spanning 11 distinct medical specialties. All offerings are integrated within a single research infrastructure under experienced physician investigator oversight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Alzheimer's Research Center at National Clinical Research: A specialized research center focused on developing Alzheimer's medications and conducting Alzheimer's disease clinical trials, including studies on amyloid plaque removal, tau protein stabilization, and combination therapies.

Products and services

• Clinical Trial Conduct Services End-to-end Phase II-IV clinical trial execution for pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors, covering protocol adherence, patient enrollment, study visits, data collection, and regulatory compliance across multiple therapeutic areas.
• Alzheimer's Research Center Dedicated Alzheimer's disease clinical trial program offering anti-amyloid therapies, anti-tau therapies, combination treatments, and memory loss prescreening services for affected patients and pharmaceutical sponsors.
• Memory Loss Testing

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000+ clinical trials conducted successfully
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• RochemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoche sponsors multiple clinical trials at NCR including Trontinemab (WN45443) and Gantenerumab (GRADUATE study). NCR conducts phase II-IV trials for Roche's Alzheimer's disease medications targeting amyloid plaque removal.
• Eli LillymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEli Lilly has sponsored numerous trials at NCR including Remternetug, Donanemab (KISUNLA, approved July 2024), and various anti-tau therapies. NCR contributed to the clinical development resulting in FDA approval of KISUNLA.
• EisaimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEisai partnered with NCR for Lecanemab (LEQEMBI, approved January 2023) clinical trials and E2814 anti-tau protein study. NCR was instrumental in the development of this FDA-approved Alzheimer's treatment.
• BiogencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiogen sponsored Aducanumab (Aduhelm) clinical trials conducted at NCR for Alzheimer's disease treatment targeting amyloid plaque removal.
• Novo NordiskcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNovo Nordisk sponsored the EVOKE study at NCR evaluating semaglutide for Alzheimer's disease treatment, based on observed memory improvement and reduced brain plaque in prior diabetes/weight loss studies.
• Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMS sponsored the CN0080003 study at NCR testing BMS-986446, a medication seeking to stabilize tau protein in Alzheimer's disease patients.
• Commonwealth Primary CarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDr. James R. Dageforde, a founding physician of Family Physicians (now Commonwealth Primary Care with 50+ providers), refers patients to NCR for clinical trial participation. This relationship facilitates seamless transitions between primary care and research participation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Medpace: Public midsize global CRO providing full-service Phase II-IV clinical trial execution including site management, biostatistics, and laboratory services. Represents the broader incumbent competing with NCR's services on a larger scale.
• Syneos Health: Global CRO (now private under Elliott/Patient Square/Veritas) offering full-service clinical development including site management and patient recruitment. Comparable incumbent in clinical trial services competing with independent research sites.
• IQVIA: Largest global CRO with extensive site network, clinical trial management, and patient recruitment capabilities. Comparable incumbent offering site-based trial execution services that overlap with NCR's offerings.
• PPD (Thermo Fisher Clinical Research): Global CRO acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2021, providing full clinical trial services including site coordination and patient recruitment. Relevant broad incumbent competing in the same clinical trial execution category.
• ICON plc: Global CRO (post-PRA Health acquisition) providing full-service clinical development including site management, biopharma lab services, and patient recruitment. Directly relevant broad incumbent in the same services category as NCR.
• Worldwide Clinical Trials: Midsize global CRO offering full-service clinical trial execution across multiple therapeutic areas with site coordination. Comparable broader incumbent providing outsourced trial services alongside independent sites like NCR.

Direct peers

• Benchmark Research: Independent dedicated multispecialty clinical research site headquartered in Texas. Conducts Phase II-IV trials across diverse therapeutic areas with a comparable business model to NCR's Richmond operation.
• Velocity Clinical Research: PE-backed (GHO Capital) network of dedicated clinical research sites across the US. Operates a similar multispecialty Phase II-IV site model with broader geographic footprint than NCR and competes for the same sponsor relationships.
• Meridian Clinical Research: Independent dedicated multispecialty clinical research site network operating across multiple US locations. Conducts Phase II-IV trials with a similar service model to NCR, making it a directly comparable independent research site competitor.

Others

• Clario: Clinical trial technology provider (formerly Bioclinica) offering clinical endpoint data collection, medical imaging, and eCOA solutions. Adjacent enabling services used by sponsors alongside or instead of dedicated site partners like NCR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalClinicalResearch
• Instagraminstagram.com/ncr.inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Clinical Research