Northwest Research Center

What Northwest Research Center does

Northwest Research Center is a private clinical research organization (CRO) operating a single site in Portland, Oregon, that contracts with pharmaceutical sponsors to conduct Phase I-IV clinical trials across multiple therapeutic areas including asthma, COPD, allergies, chronic cough, sleep apnea, dermatology, Type 2 diabetes, weight management, and viral infections. Originally established in the early 1990s as Allergy Associates Research Center, the organization integrated into Northwest Primary Care (NWPC), an independent medical group, in 2018, which broadened its therapeutic footprint and embedded it within NWPC's Sellwood clinic on the second floor of 6327 SE Milwaukie Avenue. The organization reports having completed nearly 500 clinical trials over approximately three decades.

The business runs on a professional services revenue model, generating income through per-study contracts with pharmaceutical sponsors covering patient recruitment, study coordination, data collection, and regulatory compliance per FDA and ICH guidelines. Participant recruitment is conducted via the company website (nw-research.com) using a SurveyMonkey-hosted interest form, supplemented by in-clinic referrals from the co-located NWPC primary care practice. The team is small (1-10 employees per firmographics) and includes board-certified physicians (notably Anthony Montanaro, MD, with 20+ years as an investigator in allergy/asthma), physician assistants, registered nurses, and certified research coordinators (CCRCs).

The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: NWRC is selected by pharma sponsors based on its therapeutic expertise, investigator credentials, regulatory track record, and access to defined patient populations in the Pacific Northwest. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no external investors, and no app or software products; the offering is purely clinical research site services delivered in person. The organization is wholly integrated within NWPC with no public ownership or PE backing signals identified in the source data.

Name

Northwest Research Center

Legal name

Northwest Research Center

Website

https://nw-research.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Northwest Research Center is a private clinical research site in Portland, Oregon, operating since the early 1990s (within Northwest Primary Care since 2018) that conducts Phase I-IV clinical trials for pharmaceutical sponsors across respiratory, allergy, metabolic, and dermatology indications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services (Contract Research Organization)

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)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination (HLAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pulmonary Function & Respiratory Diagnostic Centers (PFT/Spirometry) (HLAFAKAJ)

Keywords

• Clinical research services
• Clinical trial site
• Contract research organization
• Phase I-IV trials
• Respiratory clinical research

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Clinical Trial Contracts: Northwest Research Center generates revenue by contracting with pharmaceutical companies to conduct clinical trials. They provide research site services including patient recruitment, study coordination, data collection, and regulatory compliance. The facility conducts trials on behalf of drug sponsors and receives compensation for each enrolled participant and completed study.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Northwest Research Center is a contract research organization that runs Phase I-IV clinical trials for pharmaceutical sponsors across multiple therapeutic areas, including asthma, COPD, allergies, chronic cough, sleep apnea, skin conditions, diabetes, weight management, and viral infections. The site recruits volunteer participants, implements sponsor protocols, collects clinical data, and maintains FDA/IRB regulatory compliance. Operated as a research unit within Northwest Primary Care in southeast Portland, Oregon.

Product overview

Northwest Research Center is a clinical research organization that connects people with opportunities to advance healthcare through the development of safe, reliable, and effective medications, devices, and treatment regimens. The organization conducts clinical trials across multiple therapeutic areas including asthma, COPD, chronic cough, seasonal and chronic allergies, skin conditions, diabetes, weight management, sleep apnea, non-allergic rhinitis, and viral infections. They work with pharmaceutical companies and the FDA, providing research-related care, evaluations, and supervision for clinical trial participants. The organization is part of Northwest Primary Care and has conducted nearly 500 clinical trials over three decades. They currently offer enrollment in studies for weight loss, type 2 diabetes, adult and adolescent asthma, chronic cough, COPD, and persistent allergies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Trial Site Services (Phase I-IV) Contract research organization services for pharmaceutical sponsors, delivering Phase I-IV clinical trial execution including patient recruitment, protocol implementation, data collection, and FDA/IRB regulatory compliance at the Portland, Oregon research site.
• Asthma and COPD Clinical Trial Studies Clinical research studies for adult and adolescent asthma patients and COPD patients, evaluating inhalers, biologics, and combination therapies under FDA-regulated protocols. Open to individuals with mild to severe respiratory conditions seeking investigational treatments.
• Chronic Cough Clinical Trial Studies Clinical research studies evaluating treatments for adults with cough lasting 8+ weeks or children with cough lasting 4+ weeks, addressing persistent cough that disrupts sleep and daily activities.
• Allergic Rhinitis Clinical Trial Studies Clinical research studies evaluating treatments for perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis caused by dust mites, pet dander, and other persistent allergens, addressing chronic nasal congestion and year-round cold-like symptoms.
• Type 2 Diabetes Clinical Trial Studies Clinical research studies for adults with Type 2 diabetes evaluating investigational treatments for blood sugar control, insulin resistance, and diabetes management under sponsor protocols.
• Weight Loss Clinical Trial Studies Clinical research studies evaluating weight management medications in conjunction with lifestyle modifications for individuals with obesity and overweight conditions requiring medical intervention.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 500 clinical trials completed over three decades
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Northwest Primary CarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Northwest Research Center joined forces with Northwest Primary Care in 2018 to broaden research focus and therapeutic areas of interest. Northwest Primary Care is an independent medical group with deep roots in southeast Portland. The research center is located onsite at NWPC's Sellwood clinic on the second floor.
• Pharmaceutical Companies (Sponsors)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthwest Research Center contracts with pharmaceutical companies to find volunteers for the advancement of medical care. The facility serves as a host site coordinating studies, implementing protocols, and collecting data on behalf of drug sponsors.
• FDA (Food and Drug Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthwest Research Center works closely with the FDA to produce safe and effective pharmaceutical products. All clinical trials must meet federal standards and receive FDA approval before moving forward. The organization follows FDA regulations throughout the research process.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Syneos Health: Large global CRO that also operates site-management and patient-recruitment services. Broader in scope than Northwest Research Center but competes for the same sponsor trial budgets and is a key reference point on pricing and sponsor relationship dynamics.
• ICON plc: Global CRO and clinical research services provider serving most major pharmaceutical sponsors. Comparable only as a broad incumbent setting sponsor expectations and pricing for clinical trial delivery, of which site networks like Northwest Research Center are a downstream component.
• Medpace: Mid-to-large global CRO running full-service Phase I–IV clinical trials for biopharma. A broader incumbent in the same sponsor-services market; useful for understanding pricing benchmarks and trial-allocation trends that filter down to site-level players.

Direct peers

• Accel Clinical Research: U.S. clinical research site organization running multi-therapeutic Phase I–IV trials. Directly comparable as a sponsor-facing site business, with Northwest Research Center being a smaller, single-site analog.
• Benchmark Research: Privately held U.S. clinical research site network running vaccine, respiratory, and general medicine trials. Operates the same embedded-site business model as Northwest Research Center and competes for the same pharma sponsor work.
• M3 Wake Research: Network of clinical research sites owned by M3 Inc., conducting trials across multiple therapeutic areas. Directly comparable as a site-based SMO serving pharma sponsors, with similar Phase I–IV scope.
• Velocity Clinical Research: One of the largest U.S. clinical trial site networks, operating multi-therapeutic SMOs with embedded investigator staff. Highly comparable to Northwest Research Center's site-based service model, with the only meaningful difference being Velocity's multi-site national footprint.
• CenExel Clinical Research: Multi-site clinical research site network with deep CNS, pain, and respiratory capability. Operates the same SMO model as Northwest Research Center, providing Phase I–IV site services to pharmaceutical sponsors, but at significantly greater geographic and therapeutic scale.
• Flourish Research: Multi-site U.S. clinical research organization (formerly LMC Manna Research) operating community-based research sites. Highly comparable in therapeutic mix and embedded-in-medical-group operating model, but with a far broader geographic footprint.

Others

• Northwest Primary Care: Parent medical group and embedded-infrastructure partner. While not a direct peer in clinical research services, it is the operational host and distribution channel for Northwest Research Center, and is highly relevant for understanding capacity, patient access, and the strategic ceiling of the research site.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northwest-economic-research-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Northwest Research Center