Western Institutional Review Board history

In the United States, by 1953 the National Institutes of Health required that all proposed clinical research projects at its center in Bethesda obtain approval from a protection of human subjects review panel.

The Nuremberg Code became the building block for a number of other important codes of research, including the Declaration of Helsinki (1964), which specifically addresses medical research.

In 1966, the United States Public Health Service issued its first set of regulations extending this review requirement to all "extramural" research supported by the agency.

In 1972, the Associated Press covered the Tuskegee Study, in which black men with syphilis consented to be “treated” by researchers in exchange for meals, medical exams, and burial insurance.

The National Research Act of 1974, passed in response to growing concern about the ethics violations in research, created the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research.

The National Committee released The Belmont Report in 1979, which identifies basic ethical principles underlying biomedical and behavioral human subjects research.

Midlands IRB is founded in 1981, soon to become the leading specialist in Early Phase review.

New England IRB is founded in 1989 to provide regional ethical review support in Massachusetts, now the largest R&D hub in the United States.

Copernicus Group Independent Review Board (CGIRB) was founded in 1996, soon growing to become a leading provider of independent IRB services to research sponsors and contract research organizations.

IBC Administration & ReviewSince 2000, we’ve provided Institutional Biosafety Committee services to nearly 800 institutions in 14 countries.

IRBNet introduces technology to institutional research management through an NIH Grant in 2001.

In partnership with the World Health Organization, the NIH, and the University of Washington, WIRB establishes the International Fellows Program in 2002.

WIRB earned AAHRPP accreditation for meeting rigorous standards of ethics, quality, and protections for human research, and has maintained accreditation since 2003.

Aspire is founded in 2004, becoming the first female- and minority-led independent IRB.

WIRB follows its sister organization, Copernicus Group IRB, to become the second independent IRB to achieve ISO 9001:2008 certification in recognition of its rigorous quality management standards.

In 2010 Copernicus Group becomes the first IRB to achieve ISO Certification, in recognition of rigorous quality management.

WCG was founded in 2012 with the goal of systematically transforming drug development by addressing the key critical pain points adversely affecting clinical trial performance.

The WCG Gene Therapy Advisory Board is assembled in 2016 to advise the company on the latest advances in the complex and fast-growing field of human gene therapy research.

In 2017 WCG celebrates milestone of 4,000 convened IBC meetings within the United States and abroad.

On September 8, 2020, WCG announced the formal unification of their five industry-leading IRBs – Western IRB (WIRB), Copernicus Group IRB (CGIRB), Midlands IRB (MLIRB), New England IRB (NEIRB), and Aspire IRB – into the single WCG IRB brand.