Wilmington-based PPD now has a 52-bed clinical research unit in Orlando, Florida, with a focus on early phase trials on neurological disorders, company officials announced in December.

The addition to PPD’s portfolio came as part of its acquisition of Bioclinica’s clinical research site business. That move by PPD subsidiary Accelerated Enrollment Solutions, which was announced in September, grew AES’ footprint to across 20 countries and more than 180 research sites.

The Orlando unit includes individual bedrooms for special patient populations, such as elderly Alzheimer’s patients, according to a PPD news release.

“The recently acquired unit [in Orlando] has a strong track record of recruiting and conducting early phase trials in multiple neurological indications, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which affects aging populations,” the release stated. “The Orlando CRU has completed over 50 Phase I studies in Alzheimer’s and other central nervous system/neurodegenerative therapeutic areas.”

With the Orlando facility, PPD now has three clinical research units for early-phase studies.

In Las Vegas, the company has a 24-bed unit adjacent to a hospital campus that specializes in endocrinology and metabolic trials. There it has also started to conduct Japanese ethno-bridging studies in which Japanese volunteers who have lived in the U.S. for less than five years participate in studies, allowing biopharmaceutical companies to incorporate Asian patient data so that Phase II studies can be initiated in Asian markets sooner.

“By tapping into nearby high-concentration Japanese communities, we are able to study the way this population metabolizes medications and recommend alterations in safety, efficacy or dosages,” said Scott Dove, vice president of early development at PPD, in a news release. “In addition to ethno-bridging, we have expanded our distinct capabilities in neuroscience and other niche therapeutic areas to study patient populations more reflective of the products’ end-users. Increasing client access to special patient populations opens exciting opportunities for the development of important new therapies to address unmet medical needs.”

PPD’s third unit is a 185-bed clinic in Austin, Texas.