Absorption Systems is a contract research organization founded in 1996 by Patrick M. Dentinger and Ismael J. Hidalgo, Ph.D.  Patrick, President and CEO, handles the business side of the company, while Ismael is the Chief Scientist, responsible for all things scientific.  We help pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies decide which drugs to advance into clinical testing.

Originally focused only on drug absorption (hence the name), in particular the Caco-2 cell model that Ismael pioneered along with Dr. Ron Borchardt, his postdoctoral advisor at the University of Kansas, Absorption Systems has since expanded its portfolio of services to include all aspects of the ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion) properties of small-molecule drugs.

In addition to broadening its focus from A to ADME, Absorption Systems goes deep into each of those areas, offering in vitro, in situ and in vivo models to assess the properties in question.The scientific discipline of pharmacology can be conveniently divided into pharmacodynamics (the effects of a drug on the body) and pharmacokinetics (the effects of the body on a drug); our services are limited to the latter.

By 2004, Absorption Systems had grown to approximately 75 employees, about 25% of whom have doctorate degrees.  For our size, we devote an inordinate amount of resources to research and development, constantly developing and improving the assays we offer to our customers.

In 2009, we added toxicology and medical device testing to our portfolio of services, along with about 25 additional staff, with the acquisition of an AAALAC-accredited animal facility in San Diego, CA.