The partnership will combine Quotient Sciences’ expertise in early clinical development with Biorasi’s global patient recruitment capabilities to provide biotech and pharma Sponsors with a simplified, efficient pathway from Investigational New Drug (IND) to proof of concept (POC) with seamless transitions from healthy volunteers into patient groups within first-in-human (FIH) Phase I/IIa clinical trials.

Sponsors will benefit from Quotient Sciences’ clinical pharmacology expertise, with facilities in Miami (US) and Nottingham (UK) comprising 230 beds and supported by a large database of trial participants. This is complemented by Biorasi’s global patient recruitment network, which spans a wide range of therapeutic areas including dermatology, neurology, nephrology, cell therapy, and other specialty fields.  

The partnership will provide sponsors with a single provider model for FIH to POC programs, with the option of a single contract and a unified protocol and regulatory submissions to reduce the outsourcing complexity and accelerate development timelines.  

Quotient Sciences is a recognized leader in early clinical development, with deep expertise in Phase I healthy volunteer studies and early patient proof of concept (POC) trials. To meet growing industry demand for patient assessments and biomarker integration in first-in-human (FIH) studies, the company is expanding its patient access framework through a network of academic and commercial collaborators.  

These hybrid or multi-part protocols—combining healthy volunteer and patient cohorts within a single integrated design—offer speed, flexibility, and scientific rigor and a seamless pathway for generating early clinical data. 

​​​Thierry Van Nieuwenhove, CEO of Quotient Sciences, commented:​ “This partnership reflects our 35-year commitment to helping customers accelerate drug development to proof of concept by reducing complexity and breaking down traditional barriers. By combining Quotient’s clinical expertise with Biorasi’s global patient access network, we enable Sponsors to efficiently conduct early-phase studies under a single operational and contracting model, while maintaining the highest standards of clinical research and data quality. We take your molecule to the next stage of its journey—faster and more cost-effectively than anyone else.”

​​“Biotech and pharma innovators need flexible, reliable solutions to succeed in today’s evolving clinical trial environment,” added​​ Chris O’Brien, CEO of Biorasi. “Through this collaboration with Quotient Sciences, we are providing Sponsors with a simplified, scalable model that supports everything from FIH studies to patient POC, helping new therapies reach patients faster.”​​​

​​​The expansion into patients is a natural extension of Translational Pharmaceutics®, Quotient’s disruptive approach to drug development which seamlessly integrates formulation development, drug product manufacturing, and clinical testing, saving up to 12 months and accelerating data-driven decision making. ​​

The venture also expands opportunities for adjacent services including comprehensive CDMO offerings such as pharmacy compounding, drug product manufacturing, data sciences, and regulatory support. 

Summary: At the 17th Annual Conference of the European Paediatric Formulation Initiative (EuPFI),  researchers from Quotient Sciences and Rhythm Pharmaceuticals presented a poster titled “Taste Assessment Study of Bivamelagon (MC72) Pediatric Solution Formulations.”  

Poster Spotlight: Taste Assessment Study of Bivamelagon Pediatric Solution Formulations from EuPFI 2025 

Read highlights from the poster below and download the poster to see additional findings.   

Bivamelagon (MC72; LB54640) is an investigational small molecule agonist of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R), developed for once-daily oral administration to treat MC4R pathway disease-related obesity.

The poster highlighted a collaborative effort to improve the palatability of oral liquid formulation of Bivamelagon for pediatric patients. Quotient Sciences authors Amit Sawant, Nazim Kanji and Phil Evans, along with Rhythm Pharmaceuticals authors Joe Shulman and Anthony Frank contributed to the poster.

Clinical taste assessment study with healthy volunteers

The primary objective was to evaluate the taste profile of  Bivamelagon solutions and establish the viability of age-appropriate oral liquid formulations for pediatric use. The current Bivamelagon oral formulation consists of a hydrochloride salt with a bitter taste.  

The team aimed to identify simple flavoring and sweetening strategies to mask bitterness and improve acceptability for children. A taste assessment study was conducted with a panel of healthy adult volunteers at Quotient Sciences – Nottingham, UK.

Twelve adult volunteers participated in a randomized, controlled taste assessment where each person sampled oral solution formulations—one reference (Regimen A) and seven test solutions (Regimens B to H)—all containing 10 mg/mL Bivamelagon. The test solutions varied in different levels of sweetener used (sucralose) and different flavors (orange, strawberry, and raspberry).

Participants rated overall acceptability and taste attributes using a 9-point Likert scale. Statistical analyses were performed to compare each test regimen to the reference. 

A more palatable formulation for further clinical study 

The study found that the reference formulation (Regimen A) was poorly rated for taste and acceptability.

In contrast, all seven test regimens (B to H) showed statistically significant improvements in overall acceptability and palatability attributes. The addition of sucralose, either alone or combined with flavors, consistently improved taste masking.

The median overall acceptability scores for test regimens ranged from 4.5 to 5.5, compared to 3.0 for the reference. A statistical analysis confirmed significant improvements (p < 0.02 for all comparisons vs. reference.

These results demonstrated that simple sweetening and flavoring strategies can effectively mask bitterness and enhance the palatability of Bivamelagon oral solutions. The study concluded that formulations containing sucralose, alone or with fruit flavors, are suitable for further development and progression to pediatric patient studies. 

Download the poster

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Summary: Catherine Wilkes, Quotient Sciences’ longest serving colleague of over 30 years, works as an Executive Director within our Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) team in Nottingham, UK. She discusses her career with the company and what she enjoys most about her role.  

Get to know the people behind Quotient Sciences in our colleague Q&A series. 

Describe a typical day in EHS

Describing a typical day is difficult as no two days are the same. As an EHS team member at Quotient Sciences, you could arrive at work planning to do one thing, like reviewing safety assessments, developing and delivering EHS training programs, coordinating incident investigations, or leading one of our Safety Champion meetings…but then ending up in a meeting helping to find a safe solution to an unexpected operational issue, advising on safe ways of working, or following up on safety observations as they are reported. It’s never dull! 

How has your career progressed since joining us?  

My career has progressed significantly since I joined the business in 1995 when I was recruited into the role of Research Technician supporting laboratory, manufacturing, and clinical activities. Since then, my career path has been a mixture of sideways moves and upward promotions. Having gained well-rounded experience within the operational areas of the business, I moved into a full-time EHS role in the 2003, responsible for implementing H&S management systems at the Nottingham site from scratch. Fast forward to today and my current role includes developing global EHS policy and procedures and working with EHS and management teams across all sites to support harmonization activities, where this is beneficial.  

What experience did you have before you worked at Quotient Sciences? 

My only relevant work experience was one year working in the Virology department of an hospital as part of my BTEC HND sandwich course. I spent that academic year working in the lab processing biological samples for diagnostic testing. Aside from that, various part-time positions I held in retail as a student taught me the importance of good customer service.

Did you require any qualifications for the role you applied for?  

The Research Technician role just required a scientific qualification, so the BTEC HND in Applied Biology which I had just achieved was perfect. 

What learning or qualifications have you gained in this role?

When I moved into EHS, Quotient Sciences supported me in studying for and gaining my Level 6 Diploma in Occupational Safety & Health. This was the stepping stone to being able to join two professional EHS bodies (IOSH & IIRSM) and subsequently, through a program of continued professional development (CPD) and assessment, I successfully achieved IOSH Chartered Safety Practitioner status in 2013 which I’m very proud of. CPD continues to be important for me to retain my credibility by keeping my professional knowledge and skills up to date. 

What do you enjoy most about your role? 

I enjoy most that my role gives me the opportunity to positively promote EHS at Quotient Sciences, working with colleagues across all sites and at all levels within the organization. The ultimate goal is to achieve a positive and proactive safety culture with all colleagues actively engaged in supporting safe working at all our sites. While every single colleague has a part to play in that, it’s my main motivator and has been since I first became involved in EHS.  

What aspects do you find most challenging? 

I’m a firm believer that EHS procedures should be kept as simple, comprehensive, and efficient as practicable, as this ultimately make life easier for everyone. Overcoming resistance to change, especially when proposing improvements to legacy systems or inefficient ways of working, can be a challenge but this also presents great opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues to really understand their concerns and to ensure these are properly considered in the planning process.

What’s the team like?  

While the small site-based EHS teams focus on managing the EHS hazards and risks relevant to their site, we still come together as an EHS Community. We are regularly in contact with each other, benefitting from the experience among the wider pool of knowledge. One of the key attributes all our EHS colleagues have is their approachability and friendly supportive manner…this is of paramount importance to our mission to foster and maintain a positive safety culture within the global business. It also helps that they are a lovely bunch with a good sense of humor! 

What advice would you give to someone applying for a role in your team?  

If you are looking for a role where you are able to plan your day meticulously and don’t like to deviate from that plan, then EHS will probably not be for you. To thrive in an EHS role, you need to be adaptable, able to juggle a range of tasks simultaneously, an advocate of continuous improvement, able to accept the inevitable interruptions to your day with a smile, keep calm under pressure, and be a true team player. 

What do you like most about working at Quotient Sciences?  

I’ve worked for Quotient Sciences for a long time…I’ve stayed so long because I genuinely enjoy working here. I continue to be motivated by and interested in both the work we do as an organization (developing new medicines for patients) and the people I work with every day. There is now, and always has been over the years, brilliant people working at Quotient Sciences and I enjoy doing my bit to keep them all safe and healthy while they are at work. 

“One of the key attributes all our EHS colleagues have is their approachability and friendly supportive manner…this is of paramount importance to our mission to foster and maintain a positive safety culture within the global business.” 

– Catherine Wilkes