MMS Acquires Exploristics and Its Flagship Modeling and Simulation Platform

Text sign showing Industry News. Business photo text delivering news to the general public or a target public | Image Credit: © Artur - stock.adobe.com

The clinical research organization (CRO) MMS announced on Feb. 12, 2025 that it is acquiring Exploristics, a biostatistics and data science company from Belfast, Ireland (1). The acquisition includes Exploristics’ flagship product, a state-of-the-art, cloud-based statistical modeling and simulation platform called KerusCloud.

MMS said in a company press release that it seeks a data-driven approach to efficient drug development and improve capabilities in advanced clinical trial design, innovative statistics, and data science (1).

“When exploring acquisition opportunities to enhance our strategic capabilities as a leading data CRO, we sought organizations that would complement our existing regulatory approach and build a powerful combination of regulatory and statistical design expertise, combined with market-leading study simulation software,” MMS CEO Uma Sharma, PhD, said in the release. “We found that in Exploristics, along with a like-minded culture.”

In November 2024, Avantor opened a new, flagship Innovation Center in Bridgewater, NJ, in the United States (2). This facility is home to, among other offerings, a pilot plant to support scale-up simulations—such simulations, Avantor said at the time, are meant to enable rapid customization across an entire workflow.

Chris Schoonmaker, MMS chief operating officer, said that his company’s acquisition of Exploristics, and its simulation platform, has a similar objective.

“Exploristics joining MMS is an exceptional fit, and we look forward to delivering even greater value to our clients through optimized strategies that reduce the overall time and cost burden in drug development,” Schoonmaker said.

“Joining MMS represents an exciting new chapter for Exploristics,” said Aiden Flynn, founder and CEO of Exploristics, in the release. Flynn will become senior vice-president, head of strategic statistical consulting at MMS upon acquisition. “Our ethos has always centered on openness, honesty, professionalism, flexibility, and creativity—qualities that I’ve experienced at MMS since day one of our discussions. I am confident that our employees, partners, and clients will benefit from this partnership as we amplify our impact and expand our global reach.”

Elsewhere in Ireland, BioMarin Pharmaceutical announced on Dec. 9, 2024 that it plans to invest €60 million (US$63 million) into its Shanbally, Co. Cork., Ireland site to expand its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. The company is using that investment to add a new, four-story laboratory, which will be used to increase production capacity for currently approved drugs (3).

For MMS, based in Canton, Mich., in the US, the acquisition of Exploristics enhances its global footprint.

“Our presence in Europe has seen significant growth in recent years, and this acquisition adds to our vitality in the region,” MMS Chief Commercial Officer Ben Dudley said in his company’s press release. “Our focus on data for better trial data execution, lower risk, stronger submissions, integration of real-world data into clinical outputs and accelerated outcomes has never been stronger than it is today.”

By bringing Exploristics under its umbrella, MMS said it plans to provide enhanced, real-time pivots for orphan, rare, and special disease populations that have unmet medical needs. MMS also intends to integrate KerusCloud into an existing technology suite that has demonstrated a threefold increase in development program success rates as well as up to $20 million in savings on a single study (1).

References

1. MMS. MMS Acquires Exploristics and KerusCloud Simulation Platform to Expand Biostatistics and Data Science Capabilities as a Global Data-Focused CRO. Press Release. Feb. 12, 2025.
2. Avantor. Avantor Opens New Bridgewater Innovation Center Focused on Solving Life Science’s Biggest Challenges. Press Release. Nov. 14, 2024.
3. IDA Ireland. BioMarin Announces Significant Investment and Expansion of Cork Facility. Press Release. Dec. 9, 2024.