Preclinical Testing
Contents
Key Stage 4
Meaning
Preclinical Testing is when a potential medicine is tested on tissues grown in a lab or on animals to determine a medicinal effect, before using it on humans.
About Preclinical Testing
- Preclinical testing is performed to see if a drug, or other potential medicine, can be used to treat a disease without killing the organism with the disease.
- Preclinical testing can indicate whether something may work as a medicine and whether it may be safe. However, even if the it passes this stage, it may still be ineffective on humans or be dangerous.
- Once preclinical testing is done successfully the potential medicine can then go on to clinical trials where it is tested on humans.
References
AQA
- Preclinical testing, page 49, GCSE Combined Science; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
- Preclinical testing, page 52, GCSE Biology; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
- Preclinical testing, pages 104-105, GCSE Biology; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA