Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026

Testing Targeted Therapies in Cancer using Structural DNA Alteration Analysis and Patient-Derived Xenografts
Published on: July 25, 2020
Testing the right target and right drug at the right stage
Reisa A Sperling1, Clifford R Jack, Paul S Aisen
1Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02446, USA. reisa@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the only leading cause of death for which no disease-modifying therapy is currently available. Recent disappointing trial results at the dementia stage of AD have raised multiple questions about our current approaches to the development of disease-modifying agents. Converging evidence suggests that the pathophysiological process of AD begins many years before the onset of dementia. So why do we keep testing drugs aimed at the initial stages of the disease process in patients at the end-stage of the illness?
Related Concept Videos
Drug Discovery: Overview
Clinical Trials: Overview
Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets
Preclinical Development: Overview
Drug Administration and Therapy Phases: Overview
The pharmaceutical phase focuses on leveraging the physicochemical properties of the drug to design and manufacture an effective product. Variants include orally administered tablets or capsules, topical creams or ointments, and parenteral-delivery solutions or emulsions.
The pharmacokinetic phase...
Modified-Release Drug Delivery Systems: Site-Targeted

