A nephrology CRO is a Contract Research Organization dedicated to preclinical kidney disease research. Kidney disease has long been underserved in the preclinical services market: most CROs cover many therapeutic areas and offer renal models as a secondary activity, leaving sponsors without a partner focused specifically on nephrology. NEPHRIX Biosolutions was founded in 2021 to fill this gap, as a pioneering CRO built around kidney and fibrotic diseases. Because renal drug development is technically demanding, with heterogeneous diseases, protocol-sensitive models and endpoints such as GFR and quantitative histology that require specific expertise, this focus helps sponsors select the right model for their mechanism of action, generate reproducible functional and structural data, and make confident go/no-go decisions.

NEPHRIX Biosolutions focuses exclusively on kidney and fibrotic diseases. Every model, assay and readout is developed and run for renal research, rather than adapted from a broader cardiometabolic or multi-indication platform. Sponsors work with a single specialist partner covering in vitro mechanistic assays, in vivo models of AKI, CKD and DKD, histology and biomarker analysis, so that functional and structural endpoints are generated within the same program.

NEPHRIX Biosolutions runs a broad panel of validated in vivo kidney disease models, including:

• Acute Kidney Injury (AKI): ischemia-reperfusion injury, available in three variants – Unilateral Ischemia Reperfusion Injury (uIRI), Uninephrectomy + Ischemia Reperfusion Injury (Ux/IRI), and Bilateral Ischemia Reperfusion Injury (bIRI) – plus cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity and sepsis-induced AKI
• Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), adenine-induced CKD, 5/6 nephrectomy
• Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD): streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic nephropathy, db/db model
• Other renal pathologies: IgA nephropathy, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), hypertensive nephropathy.

NEPHRIX Biosolutions pairs in vivo studies with disease-relevant in vitro systems using primary and immortalized renal cell lines. The in vitro portfolio covers fibrosis assays (among them the DuoXProx renal co-culture model), inflammation assays, nephrotoxicity assays assessing the direct impact of compounds on renal cells, and senescence assays based on senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining, relevant to kidney aging and chronic injury. These systems enable early mechanism-of-action and toxicity screening before moving into animal models, reducing risk and cost ahead of in vivo confirmation.

Renal fibrosis is a core focus of NEPHRIX Biosolutions. Antifibrotic candidates can be evaluated in vitro, including in the DuoXProx renal co-culture model, and in vivo in models such as UUO, adenine-induced CKD and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Histology and immunohistochemistry services, performed in-house, provide quantitative assessment of tissue injury and fibrosis, (e.g. Sirius Red / Masson’s trichrome staining and α-SMA immunostaining), alongside functional and biomarker readouts.

Studies are supported by a validated biomarker panel including KIM-1, NGAL, GFR, BUN, creatinine, urinary albumin and albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), α-SMA and TGF-β1, alongside quantitative histopathology, to characterize both functional and structural kidney damage.

Yes. NEPHRIX Biosolutions works seamlessly with European sponsors under standard EU regulatory and logistics frameworks, while also supporting US-based biotech and pharma teams with FDA-aligned study design, regulatory-ready data packages, and streamlined cross-border project management-all from facilities integrated with Paul Sabatier University’s imaging and molecular platforms.

A project typically starts with a scoping discussion to define the model, endpoints and study design. Clients highlight NEPHRIX Biosolutions responsiveness: proposals and quotations are provided promptly, and timelines are agreed upfront and tailored to each model. Sponsors are kept informed throughout the study through regular progress updates, and the project concludes with a final report including raw and analyzed data. To start, send a request through the contact form or via Scientist.com or Science Exchange.