preclinical

adjective

pre·​clin·​i·​cal (ˌ)prē-ˈkli-ni-kəl How to pronounce preclinical (audio)
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 Although clinical trials are still needed, the hydrogel shows excellent potential in preclinical studies, offering hope for patients with retinitis pigmentosa. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Results so far, both in preclinical studies as well as the Phase 1 trial, have been promising, Galvin said. Angela Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 18 Jan. 2024 The species had the virtue of being slightly nicer (less likely to bite handlers) and smaller (saving money on drugs in preclinical studies) than the rhesus macaque. Erika Fry, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2024 The incubator, called the Breakthrough Innovation Alliance, will give up to $1 million apiece to 10 different research initiatives over the next three years, allowing scientists and entrepreneurs to run preclinical research to determine whether the ideas hold any promise. Allison Deangelis, STAT, 29 Nov. 2023 Caraway’s drug candidates, targeting Parkinson’s disease, are in preclinical development. Damian Garde, STAT, 21 Nov. 2023 At that point, Burroughs Wellcome scientists balked at handling the materials needed to conduct the preclinical and initial clinical trials. Daniel J. Kevles, The New York Review of Books, 5 Oct. 2023 This year, the U.S. congress is voting on the FDA Modernization Act—a landmark bill allowing researchers to replace animal models in preclinical drug screening with better model systems, including organ-chips. Jim Corbett, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2022 The recommendation, based on preclinical and clinical trial data, showed that the vaccine reduced symptomatic cases by 75 percent following a three-dose series in a year, in areas with high seasonal malaria transmission. Niha Masih, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'preclinical.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of preclinical was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near preclinical

Cite this Entry

“Preclinical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preclinical. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

preclinical

adjective
pre·​clin·​i·​cal (ˈ)prē-ˈklin-i-kəl How to pronounce preclinical (audio)
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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