Preclinical Testing

Key Stage 4

Meaning

Preclinical Testing is when a drug 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.