Multi-centre randomised animal trials before committing to a human trial
A drug that works in one laboratory's mice often fails elsewhere. Running the key animal study across several independent laboratories first would catch this.
The confirmatory preclinical trial concept borrows randomisation, blinding, power calculation and multi-site replication from clinical research. Multi-laboratory preclinical trials have been run in stroke (the MULTI-PART approach) and in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and reversed several accepted findings. Oncology, where phase 2 attrition is highest, has no equivalent standing infrastructure.
- Preclinical models that do not predict people · Nine in ten cancer drugs that work in mice fail in humans. Our models are the reason.
- Preclinical results do not reproduce · Fewer than half of landmark cancer biology findings reproduce when someone else tries.
- The valley of death between lab and product · Most academic discoveries die before anyone tests them in people because nobody funds the middle step.
Pages like this
not linked directly; found by shared links- IdeaA home for the animal and organoid experiments that failed
Shares Preclinical results do not reproduce, Preclinical models that do not predict people, Cancer Research UK, National Cancer Institute (NIH).
- IdeaPre-register animal efficacy studies like clinical trials
Shares Preclinical results do not reproduce, Preclinical models that do not predict people, Cancer Research UK, National Cancer Institute (NIH).
- IdeaAn independent replication institute that re-tests key preclinical cancer findings before trials
Shares Patient-derived xenografts, Preclinical results do not reproduce, The valley of death between lab and product.
- IdeaPublicly funded cancer AI must release open weights and model cards
Shares Preclinical results do not reproduce, Cancer Research UK, National Cancer Institute (NIH).
- InstitutionThe Jackson Laboratory Cancer Center
Shares Patient-derived xenografts, Preclinical results do not reproduce, Preclinical models that do not predict people.
- IdeaPre-specified sample sizes for animal studies; no more 'representative' experiments
Shares Patient-derived xenografts, Preclinical results do not reproduce, Preclinical models that do not predict people.
- Key paperReproducibility Project: Cancer Biology found that landmark preclinical results mostly shrank or vanished on replication
Shares Patient-derived xenografts, Preclinical results do not reproduce, The valley of death between lab and product, Preclinical models that do not predict people.
- IdeaPet dogs with spontaneous cancer as a bridge before human trials
Shares The valley of death between lab and product, Preclinical models that do not predict people, National Cancer Institute (NIH).