Aspire IRB and Midlands IRB have joined the WIRB-Copernicus Group (WCG), a provider of regulatory and ethical review services for clinical research.

Aspire IRB, located near San Diego, Calif., and Kansas City, Mo.-based Midlands IRB expand WCG’s presence in two major clinical research hubs and increase its expertise in early phase (phase I and II) reviews.

“We are delighted to welcome Midlands and Aspire to our family; these two high-quality organizations bring with them exceptional people, outstanding regulatory and compliance records and strong client relationships,” said Donald A. Deieso, Ph.D., WCG’s chairman and CEO. “Both Midlands and Aspire will continue to operate independently and will retain their leadership, personnel and brands.”

Midlands IRB and Aspire IRB will have access to WCG’s resources, including state-of-the-art technology, advisory panels and rigorous quality management and compliance programs.

“We are thrilled to bring to bear all of the resources of the WIRB-Copernicus Group to ensure the highest standards of human subject protection for our clients,” said Michele R. Baptista, CIP, president of Aspire IRB. “Not only will we continue to provide the hands-on, personalized interaction our clients have come to expect—and is so necessary in early phase research—but we will also be able to offer them more advanced technologies and services to facilitate the optimization of late phase (III & IV) research, such as electronic informed consent, learning management and accelerated study start-up solutions.”

The WCG family of companies now includes 12 individual AAHRPP-accredited panels, three of which are focused on the review of oncology research.

Financial details were not disclosed.