Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Potentiation of Anticancer Antibody Efficacy by Antineoplastic Drugs: Detection of Antibody-drug Synergism Using the Combination Index Equation
Published on: January 19, 2019
A flexible unified approach to the analysis of pre-clinical combination studies
1Discovery Statistics, AstraZeneca R&D, Alderley Park, UK. Chris.Harbron@AstraZeneca.Com
Abstract:
Combinations of drugs are increasingly being used in a variety of diseases. Pre-clinical experiments allow the responses of many drug compounds to be studied in combination with the goal of identifying compounds acting synergistically. This paper presents a unified approach to analysing data from combination studies, calculating a hierarchy of interaction indices to powerfully and flexibly describe the synergistic profile of the combination space studied, utilizing standard statistical software to generate estimates of confidence and provide statistical tests. The approach can work with a wide variety of experimental designs and response patterns and will deal with partial responses and inactive compounds. As well as identifying synergy or antagonism, the same approach can also be used to identify a benefit or detriment to monotherapy. The approach is illustrated with data from an in vitro study.
Related Concept Videos
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Preclinical Development: Overview
Model-Independent Approaches for Pharmacokinetic Data: Noncompartmental Analysis
One important characteristic of noncompartmental analyses is that drug exposure increases proportionally with increasing doses. This relationship...
Bioavailability Study Design: Single Versus Multiple Dose Studies
Clinical Trials
There are four phases in a clinical trial. A phase one...
Analysis Methods of Pharmacokinetic Data: Model and Model-Independent Approaches
The model approach uses mathematical models to describe changes in drug concentration over time. Pharmacokinetic models help characterize drug behavior in patients, predict drug concentration in the body fluids, calculate optimum dosage regimens, and evaluate the risk of toxicity. However, ensuring that the model fits the experimental data accurately...

