Contract research organization PharPoint Research Inc. has expanded its presence in Wilmington, thanks to “the stable growth of new employees,” according to a news release this week.

“PharPoint has broadened its clientele base at an accelerated pace,” Jennifer A. Elder, chief scientific officer and cofounder of PharPoint, said in the release. “With this growth, our already impressive breadth of expertise in clinical trial management in various therapeutic areas continues to expand.”

The firm specializes in clinical operations, data management and biostatistics. Many of its clients are small biotech companies that don’t have the internal staff to handle all aspects of its work. In such cases, PharPoint becomes a partner with its client.

Elder said Thursday that PharPoint’s Wilmington office, which employs about 26 people, recently relocated to 7,000 square feet of space at 1001 Military Cutoff Road, Suite 301. Previously the office occupied a smaller space on Eastwood Road.

“This space is more conveniently located for our employees, and there is room for growth,” she said. “When they are at work they can focus on work, and there are more amenities close to the building. And there is more room in the building for future expansion.”

PharPoint Research was founded in 2006 in the Research Triangle Park by Elder, Arthur Holmes and Audra McRae. Holmes is now president and CEO; McRae is COO. The firm opened a virtual office in Wilmington in 2007, then soon moved into a bricks-and-mortar facility on Gordon Road. In 2010, the company moved to the Eastwood Road location.

Growth has been steady, Elder said. PharPoint has added about 30 people in the past year, about one-third of them in Wilmington. Through a relationship with University of North Carolina Wilmington, PharMore has established an internship program for students in such fields as clinical studies, math and statistics and computer science.

“That is how we obtain many of our qualified staff,” Elder said. “We bring them in as interns, and then we hire them.”

PharPoint has also partnered locally with other companies in the CRO industry such as Modoc Research and Biostudy Solutions and occasionally uses local CRO experts as consultants on projects, Elder said.