---
title: CRO Daily News — August 17, 2026
slug: daily-news-2026-08-17-cro
site: cro
post_kind: news
byline: BioBM
description: August 17 CRO daily: Clinilabs Appoints IQVIA Veteran Laura Shannon as CEO to Drive CNS CRO Growth; BioCytics and LIDE Biotech Partner on PDX Screening for…
canonical_url: https://www.cro.directory/posts/daily-news-2026-08-17-cro
published_at: 2026-08-17T23:59:40.217Z
last_updated: 2026-08-18T00:01:57.967Z
---

### [Clinilabs](/companies/clinilabs) Appoints [IQVIA](/companies/iqvia) Veteran Laura Shannon as CEO to Drive CNS CRO Growth
- [Clinilabs](/companies/clinilabs), a New York-based CNS-focused CRO, appointed Laura Shannon as CEO; founder Gary Zammit transitions to Executive Chairperson.
- Shannon brings 30+ years of biopharma experience, most recently as EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at [IQVIA](/companies/iqvia)'s U.S. and Canada units.
- The leadership structure pairs commercial expertise with scientific depth to accelerate growth in specialty CNS drug and device development.

**Operational Impact**

[Clinilabs](/companies/clinilabs)' appointment of an experienced commercial leader from a top-tier CRO signals investment in partnership expansion and operational scaling within the specialty CNS segment, potentially increasing competitive pressure on generalist CROs in neuropsychiatric and sleep-disorder trials.

*Source: [PharmaSource RSS](https://pharmasource.global/content/news/cro-news/clinilabs-appoints-iqvia-veteran-laura-shannon-as-ceo-to-lead-cns-cro-into-next-growth-phase)*

---

### BioCytics and [LIDE Biotech](/companies/lide-biotech) Partner on PDX Screening for Immuno-Oncology Cell Therapy
- BioCytics (Huntersville, NC) and [LIDE Biotech](/companies/lide-biotech) (Shanghai) formed a strategic alliance to develop PDX screening platforms and companion diagnostics for immune-based cancer therapies under a recently executed MOU.
- The pilot project will generate murine PDX models from BioCytics' IRB-approved human biospecimen collection (NCT00571389), enabling in vivo validation of drug resistance and cell death in autologous adaptive immune cell therapy.
- LIDE Biotech operates 2,300+ PDX models across 40+ cancer types and AAALAC-accredited SPF animal facilities; this marks the Shanghai CRO's first U.S. partnership and expansion beyond China.

**Operational Impact**

[LIDE Biotech](/companies/lide-biotech)'s first U.S. collaboration extends its PDX translational platform into the North American immuno-oncology market, offering CRO buyers access to patient-derived xenograft screening with rapid miniPDX readouts and ethically sourced biospecimen supply from BioCytics' IRB-governed collection.

*Source: [PharmaSource RSS](https://pharmasource.global/content/news/cro-news/biocytics-and-lide-biotech-form-cro-alliance-to-develop-pdx-screening-platforms-for-immuno-oncology-cell-therapy)*

## References

1. [PharmaSource RSS — Clinilabs Appoints IQVIA Veteran Laura Shannon as CEO to Drive CNS CRO Growth](https://pharmasource.global/content/news/cro-news/clinilabs-appoints-iqvia-veteran-laura-shannon-as-ceo-to-lead-cns-cro-into-next-growth-phase)
2. [PharmaSource RSS — BioCytics and LIDE Biotech Partner on PDX Screening for Immuno-Oncology Cell Therapy](https://pharmasource.global/content/news/cro-news/biocytics-and-lide-biotech-form-cro-alliance-to-develop-pdx-screening-platforms-for-immuno-oncology-cell-therapy)

Source: https://www.cro.directory/posts/daily-news-2026-08-17-cro