preclinical
adjective
pre·clin·i·cal
(ˌ)prē-ˈkli-ni-kəl 
1
: of, relating to, or concerned with the period preceding clinical manifestations
2
: of, relating to, or being the period in medical or dental education preceding the clinical study of medicine or dentistry
3
: occurring prior to clinical testing
a preclinical animal study of a new therapy
Examples of preclinical in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Researchers emphasized the need for preclinical and clinical studies to establish causal effects.
—
Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Can Rat Study Findings Translate Directly to Humans? Rats are commonly used as stand-ins for humans in preclinical research, according to Peter Landrigan, MD, a co-author of the study and director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College.
—Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 20 June 2025
Showing great promise in preclinical studies, PMR-116 disrupts a pathway downstream of MYC, inhibiting an enzyme that stunts the synthesis of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) – a process that's crucial in protein synthesis.
—Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 13 June 2025
In 2022, the Chinese Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery published a review of preclinical and clinical studies demonstrating the properties of a PN, polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), mainly extracted from salmon sperm cells.
—New Atlas, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for preclinical
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Can Rat Study Findings Translate Directly to Humans? Rats are commonly used as stand-ins for humans in preclinical research, according to Peter Landrigan, MD, a co-author of the study and director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College.
—Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 20 June 2025
Showing great promise in preclinical studies, PMR-116 disrupts a pathway downstream of MYC, inhibiting an enzyme that stunts the synthesis of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) – a process that's crucial in protein synthesis.
—Bronwyn Thompson, New Atlas, 13 June 2025
In 2022, the Chinese Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery published a review of preclinical and clinical studies demonstrating the properties of a PN, polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), mainly extracted from salmon sperm cells.
—New Atlas, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for preclinical
Cite this Entry
“Preclinical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preclinical. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
preclinical
adjective
pre·clin·i·cal
(ˈ)prē-ˈklin-i-kəl
1
a
: of, relating to, concerned with, or being the period preceding clinical manifestations
the preclinical stage of diabetes mellitus
b
: occurring prior to a clinical trial
preclinical animal testing to assess a drug's safety
2
: of, relating to, or being the period in medical or dental education preceding the clinical study of medicine or dentistry
the preclinical years
specifically
: of or relating to the early period of prescribed medical or dental study devoted to the basic sciences (as anatomy, physiology, and pathology)
preclinical studies
3
: of, relating to, or being a science basic to medicine
research in the preclinical sciences
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share