Preclinical Study CRO: From Proof-of-Concept (POC) to IND Submission
Preclinical CRO is a support center offering expertise in research and development necessary for navigating a drug candidate through animal testing and advancing it into the clinical phase. Preclinical research services involve several studies critical to asses drug efficacy and safety in animal models and complete Investigational New Drug (IND) filing studies. Successful completion of the drug IND package is the first milestone towards clinical development.
Many drugs are rejected during the preclinical stage due to subpar treatment effects or adverse outcomes including toxicity. If these studies are not appropriately designed, your medication can be dismissed by the regulatory authorities in error. Hence, it is imperative to look for a preclinical CRO with competent personnel who have relevant scientific expertise as well as regulatory awareness.
Before a drug could be released in the market, a set of studies are conducted to predict its safety and efficacy in humans. These clinical studies are often conducted following intensive animal studies under the supervision of pharmaceutical scientists and experts. This animal testing must follow the ethics and regulations set for animal use in preclinical research. First in man study is designed based on the preclinical studies including first safe dose in phase I study.
Preclinical Research Services to test Drug Safety and Efficacy
Preclinical research in drug development is a risk-assessment process to know the impact of a drug on animals and extrapolate the possible outcome in humans. The preclinical studies, such as the toxicological and pharmacologic responses of the drug in relevance to the dose, assist in advancing the research with human volunteers.
For regulatory compliance with continuing the drug study, the sample collection and testing environment must be up to the specified standards of facility upkeep, treatment ethics, and safe dosage. The right preclinical CRO meets or exceeds these expectations to support an accelerated clearing of this initial stage of drug development. Furthermore, the insights gained from the preclinical testing help with a streamlined drug development moving onwards.
Pharmacology
Pharmacology testing helps assess the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties exhibited by a drug. Both these properties are essential as they help measure and identify the desirable and undesirable outcomes of the drug in the animal models. Pharmacokinetic properties help in defining ADME (adsorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) properties of a drug compound which provides a scientific understanding of the drug for making appropriate decisions and designing further experiments, studies, and trials as next steps.
Toxicology
The toxicological activity of the drug product is measured through in vitro and in vivo studies. While in vitro gives direct impact on cell proliferation and phenotype, in vivo studies evaluate the toxicity profile of a drug by identifying its effects on different animal species.
Throughout the preclinical testing phase, one crucial factor is the selection of relevant animal species and models. Knowing the impact of pharmacological and toxicological studies in the correct animal species and models creates the basis for clinical trials.
