Challenging the pipeline

Peter Loskill1, Rhiannon N Hardwick2, Adrian Roth3

  • 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany; 3R-Center for In vitro Models and Alternatives to Animal Testing, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.

Stem Cell Reports
|September 15, 2021
PubMed

Insights

This commentary explores a novel drug discovery approach prioritizing human and disease-relevant models. It outlines a framework for a new drug development paradigm, moving beyond traditional methods.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical research
  • Drug discovery and development
  • Translational medicine

Background:

  • Traditional drug discovery relies heavily on animal models and in vitro assays.
  • These methods often fail to accurately predict human responses, leading to high attrition rates.
  • A paradigm shift is needed to enhance the predictive power of preclinical models.

Discussion:

  • Proposes a hypothetical drug discovery program centered on human- and disease-relevant models.
  • Emphasizes integrating systems biology, omics data, and advanced computational approaches.
  • Advocates for a holistic strategy from target identification to clinical validation.

Key Insights:

  • Human-relevant models are crucial for improving drug efficacy and safety predictions.
  • Prioritizing these models can streamline the drug development pipeline.
  • This approach necessitates a multidisciplinary collaboration and innovative technological integration.

Outlook:

  • Potential to accelerate the delivery of effective therapeutics to patients.
  • Could reduce the cost and failure rate associated with drug development.
  • Sets the stage for future research into optimized, human-centric drug discovery frameworks.

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