Empathx Clinical Ressearch

What Empathx Clinical Ressearch does

Empathx Clinical Research is a U.S.-based Site Management Organization (SMO) headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, operating a network of dedicated and community-embedded clinical research sites across Texas and California through its Empathx MPP (Houston, CNS/Psychiatry/Psychedelics), Lonestar Clinical Research (Dallas, Infectious Disease), and Catalina Research Institute (Montclair, MASH/MASLD/Diabetes/Obesity with Phase 1 capabilities) brands. The company delivers end-to-end clinical trial site management for pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs, focused on four therapeutic areas: psychiatry/CNS, cardio-metabolic, infectious disease, and cardio-renal, with a stated track record of more than 200 behavioral health studies and 100+ metabolic studies.

The core service offering comprises Clinical Trial Management & Site Operations, Patient Recruitment & Diversity, and an End-to-End Solution spanning feasibility through database lock. Empathx's principal technology is BEKHealth's EMR-to-trial-criteria matching, integrated to accelerate patient identification; the operational differentiator is an embedded-site model in which research infrastructure is co-located within treating physician practices and dialysis units, generating organic access to diverse patient populations (>44% racial and 36%+ ethnic diversity versus a ~11% global trial average). Strategic partnerships with Beacon Health Partners (psychiatry investigator network) and BEKHealth (EMR matching) underpin the operating model.

Empathx generates revenue under professional-services contracts with pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs, charging fees for site activation, patient enrollment, study conduct, and data delivery across its therapeutic area portfolio. The customer base includes 15+ enterprise pharma and biotech clients, including AbbVie, Allergan, Otsuka, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Moderna, and Bayer. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent entity, and no public listing; trademarks are registered to American Clinical Research Services Opco, LLC. Leadership is drawn from Thermo Fisher Scientific/PPD's Accelerated Enrollment Solutions business, and the CFO has publicly described an aggressive organic and inorganic growth strategy.

Name

Empathx Clinical Ressearch

Legal name

Empathx Clinical Research LLC

Website

https://empathxresearch.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Empathx Clinical Research is a U.S. Site Management Organization operating embedded and dedicated clinical trial sites for pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs, with therapeutic focus on psychiatry/CNS, cardio-metabolic, infectious disease, and cardio-renal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Trial Site Services (Site Management Organization)

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Site Network Operators & SMOs (HLAGACAA)

Keywords

• Clinical trial site management
• Site management organization
• Patient recruitment services
• Clinical research services
• Community-embedded clinical trials

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

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 Site Services: Empathx operates as a Site Management Organization (SMO) providing clinical research site services to pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs. Revenue is generated through fees for study startup, patient enrollment, site management, and clinical trial execution services across their network of dedicated and embedded research sites.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Empathx Clinical Research operates as a Site Management Organization (SMO) providing end-to-end clinical trial site management, patient recruitment, and engagement services for pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs. Services are delivered through a network of dedicated and community-embedded research sites within treating physician practices, supporting therapeutic areas including Psychiatry/CNS, Cardio-Metabolic, Cardio-Renal (Nephrology), and Infectious Disease. The company leverages a centralized clinical trial management platform with BEKHealth EMR matching to accelerate study startup, drive diverse enrollment, and deliver high-quality data.

Product overview

Empathx is a U.S.-based Site Management Organization (SMO) offering a unified platform of clinical trial management and site operations services. The core offering consists of Clinical Trial Management & Site Operations, Patient Recruitment & Diversity, and an End-to-End Solution for sponsors and CROs. These services are delivered through a network of embedded and dedicated research sites specializing in four therapeutic areas: Psychiatry/CNS, Cardio-Metabolic, Infectious Disease, and Cardio-Renal. The company leverages community-embedded sites within treating physician practices to achieve organic diversity and inclusion in clinical trial enrollment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Empathx MPP: Clinical research site in Houston, Texas specializing in Central Nervous System, Psychiatry, and Psychedelics
• Lonestar Clinical Research
• Catalina Research Institute

Products and services

• Clinical Trial Management & Site Operations End-to-end clinical trial management and site operations services designed to accelerate study startup, improve enrollment speed, and deliver high-quality data for pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs across cardiology/nephrology, psychiatry/neurology, metabolic, and infectious disease studies.
• Patient Recruitment & Diversity Patient enrollment services that leverage Empathx's community-embedded sites and trusted local physician relationships to achieve clinical trial diversity and enrollment speed, routinely producing >44% racial and 36%+ ethnic diversity in enrolled populations.
• End-to-End Solution Streamlined operations from rapid site activation to database lock, including clinical trial feasibility and rapid study startup services, ensuring efficient delivery at every milestone for pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs.
• Psychiatry & CNS Clinical Research Psychiatry and neurology clinical trial services delivered through partnership with Beacon Health Partners, covering indications including Alzheimer's disease, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar, depression, OCD, PTSD, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and postpartum depression.
• Cardio-Metabolic Clinical Research Clinical trial services for metabolic disorders including MASH, MASLD, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension, with experience in liver biopsy sample preparation and predominantly minority patient populations.
• Infectious Disease Clinical Trials Vaccine and treatment clinical trials for COVID-19, influenza, hepatitis, HIV, and RSV, leveraging dedicated and embedded sites with access to immunocompromised and demographically diverse patients.
• Cardio-Renal Network Nephrology and cardiology clinical trial services with over 30 years of combined experience, featuring sites embedded within treating Nephrology practices and Dialysis units that enable complex indications within communities of unmet need.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sites consistently enroll >44% racial and 36%+ ethnic diversity without targeted recruitment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Beacon Health PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive research collaboration establishing one of the largest Psychiatry clinical research site footprints, enabling rapid growth of the Empathx Psychiatry network and bringing novel treatments to vulnerable populations across the USA.
• Beacon Behavioral PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with nationwide network of top clinical psychiatrists for CNS and psychiatry clinical trials, bringing novel therapies to known patients of need across difficult to diagnose and enroll populations.
• BEKHealthcoreTechnology or IntegrationEMR matching technology allowing rapid and accurate patient identification and enrollment by matching electronic medical records to trial criteria.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ICON plc: Top-tier global CRO with substantial site and patient recruitment services after its PRA Health Sciences merger. Overlaps with Empathx on full-service CRO + SMO bundled offerings to large pharma sponsors.
• Medpace: Mid-to-large CRO with selectively integrated site operations and a strong reputation in cardio-metabolic, oncology, and CNS — direct therapeutic-area overlap with Empathx's cardio-metabolic and psychiatry franchises.
• Worldwide Clinical Trials: Mid-size global CRO with deep CNS/Psychiatry and rare disease expertise. Competes for similar Phase II–III Psychiatry and specialty-metabolic trial placements as Empathx's therapeutic area franchises.
• IQVIA: Largest global CRO with significant site services and patient recruitment capabilities via its OCE and Site Innovation platforms. Competes for top-tier pharma/CRO enterprise contracts that Empathx also targets, but with broader geographic reach and bundled CRO services.
• Fortrea (Labcorp spinoff): Post-Labcorp spinout CRO with embedded site services (Site Lab, Patient Access). Competes on similar enterprise pharma/CRO contracts and offers comparable Phase I–IV site-based capabilities.

Direct peers

• CenExel: Specialty clinical research site network with expertise in CNS/Psychiatry, Pain/Addiction, and other complex indications. Empathx's Houston-based Empathx MPP Psychiatry/Psychedelics site competes for overlapping psychiatry trial placements.
• Velocity Clinical Research: Multi-therapeutic Site Management Organization with embedded sites in treating physician practices, targeting enrollment speed and diverse patient populations. Highly comparable to Empathx's embedded-site, community-led GTM motion and therapeutic areas (cardio-metabolic, infectious disease).
• Accelerated Enrollment Solutions (AES): Thermo Fisher/PPD-owned SMO focused on accelerated patient enrollment across therapeutic areas, including CNS, infectious disease, and cardio-metabolic. Empathx's CEO Dustin Owen previously ran AES at PPD, indicating the strongest direct strategic overlap in SMO business model, therapeutic focus, and operational DNA.
• Evolution Research Group (ERG): Network of dedicated clinical research sites delivering Phase I–IV trials in Psychiatry/CNS, Infectious Disease, and other complex therapeutic areas. Comparable site-network structure with therapeutic focus overlap to Empathx's Psychiatry and Infectious Disease franchises.

Emerging players

• Flourish Research: Growing SMO network focused on embedding research within community physician practices with strong emphasis on diversity recruitment. Closely comparable emerging site-management competitor in community-embedded, diversity-led trial delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCI1uzJi-jWYToQxE9SaWTlQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/ElixiaClinicalResearchCollaborative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empathxresearch
• Instagraminstagram.com/elixiaclinicalresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Empathx Clinical Ressearch