The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences is partnering with a Virginia investment firm to open a new contract research lab on the nonprofit's campus in Research Triangle Park.

The joint venture between Hamner and Charlottesville-based PBM Capital Group will be called Triangle Research Labs.

It will focus on screening drug components prior to clinical studies to give biotech and pharmaceutical companies insurances that the compounds in their drugs aren't toxic to humans.

“This partnership with PBM Capital Group aligns quite well with our shared vision to advance global public health,” said William Greenlee, president and CEO of Hamner, said in a release.

As part of the deal, PBM is shifting the contract research service operations of its GigaCyte subsidiary in Connecticut to Hamner's RTP location.

Triangle Research Labs will be led by Ivin Silver, a former director at GlaxoSmithKline.

Hamner, founded in 1974 to study the safety of chemicals, is expanding rapidly at its RTP campus at 6 Davis Drive.