The increasing pace of scientific discovery—and increasing demand to quickly apply those abstract discoveries to solving real-world problems—has put ever more pressure on biotech companies and researchers to get more done, more quickly. As a result, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies (and even some universities, government organizations, and foundations) are more frequently relying on the support of CROs (i.e., “contract research organizations” or “clinical research organizations”).  

CROs Bring the Right Expertise—and the Right EquipmentMarket Growth

It’s easy to see why CROs have become so attractive. They are fast, cost-efficient, and have an easier time staying abreast of any regulatory changes. They also tend to concentrate advanced technology investment and specialized subject-matter experts.

This has resulted in a rapid expansion in the number of CROs. Most analysis expect the CRO services will grow roughly 12% per year over the next 6 to 7 years. Interestingly, this isn’t just a matter of a few big players growing ever larger and more dominant. Instead, the CRO space is proving to be a very hospitable environment for smaller, more nimble niche players. This is especially true for those who concentrate expertise in a few key related areas, which allows them to deliver disproportionate results extremely quickly.

But just as pharma, biotech, and medical device makers rely on CROs to bring expertise to their project, CROs need reliable equipment support and suppliers in order to be confident they can keep up with the accelerating pace of research.

It’s a common misconception that medical or pharmaceutical research and trials require a “FDA-approved” GLP/GMP autoclave. This is usually not the case—and, in fact, medical-grade autoclaves often underperform in research, testing, and R&D because they are so tightly optimized for hospital use.

Priorclave’s line of programmable research autoclaves have proven popular in biotech research and both pharma/medical device development and testing.

Priorclave Helps CROs Get the Most Out of the Right Autoclave

Priorclaves are renowned for being flexible, customizable, rugged and economical, with a low total-cost-of-ownership.

• Flexible: All Priorclaves—regardless of size or model—are fully programmable, and include features especially useful during research and development. Cycle repeat, cycle delay, variable cycle times (up to 999 hours per cycle), and programmable temperature and pressure ramps make it easy to create a wide range of conditions (e.g., repeat sterilization cycles, simulating years spent implanted in a patient, etc.) without sacrificing “one-button Start” simplicity. This has made them especially popular for tasks like medical device accelerated aging and durability testing.
• Customizable: First and foremost, each Priorclave custom built to spec. Additionally, Priorclaves themselves are inherently easier to customize after installation. It’s not unusual for Priorclave users to add their own in-house or third-party monitoring systems, data loggers, sensors, etc.
• Rugged and Economical: Priorclaves are designed and built to perform under less-than-ideal conditions (e.g., in the developing world, onboard naval vessels, etc.). They are easy to maintain with standard parts—no proprietary seals, gaskets, solenoids, or valves. That design ethos extends to resource consumption. Because they only use power and water as needed, our autoclaves use 70% less electricity and 95% less water than like-sized GMP/GLP units.

Most importantly, we support every autoclave we deliver with free lifetime technical support. We regularly work with manufacturers’ R&D and QA departments, as well as research universities and conservation organizations, to help them get the most out of the right autoclave.