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Updated: Jul 2, 2026

An Intestine/Liver Microphysiological System for Drug Pharmacokinetic and Toxicological Assessment
Published on: December 3, 2020
Methods in safety pharmacology in focus.
Michael K Pugsley1, David J Gallacher, Rob Towart
1Johnson & Johnson PR&D, Global Preclinical Toxicology/Pathology, Raritan, NJ 00869, USA. MPugsle2@its.jnj.com
This issue presents diverse safety pharmacology methods beyond cardiovascular studies, including neurobehavioral assessments and biological agent testing. It highlights evolving industry practices and the translation of non-clinical findings to human safety.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Toxicology
- Drug Development
Background:
- This focused issue features articles from the 7th Annual Safety Pharmacology Society (SPS) meeting.
- Content expands beyond traditional cardiovascular safety to include non-cardiovascular methods and reviews.
Discussion:
- Includes neurobehavioral assessments in non-human primates and drug effects in juvenile/adult rats, relevant to pediatric legislation.
- Features methodological papers on cardiovascular drug sensitivity in non-human primates and fractal analysis of canine heartbeat dynamics.
- Presents a working group's recommendations on safety pharmacology testing for biological therapeutic agents, including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).
Key Insights:
- A new focus on non-cardiovascular safety pharmacology methods, including central nervous system (CNS) and biological agents.
- Industry practices are examined through an SPS survey on ICH S7A/S7B trends, early safety studies, and contract research organization (CRO) assays.
- The translation of non-clinical safety findings to human applications is discussed, alongside the use of zebrafish as an early screening assay.
Outlook:
- Recommendations for biological safety testing are expected to shape regulatory strategies.
- The evolving landscape of safety pharmacology emphasizes a broader range of methods and applications.
- Continued focus on translating non-clinical data for improved human safety assessment.
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