RE: Article6 Sep 2025 09:07
Harvard University
The average new drug requires over 15 years and $2 billion in funding to traverse the journey from discovery to full approval. The first portion of the journey, among the riskiest and most scientifically complex portions, involves extensive testing of the drug in in silico, in vitro, and in vivo settings. Current standards all but ensure that new medicines are tested extensively in vivo animal models for safety before being permitted in patients.
But a tidal shift is underway. In vivo models are being complemented by, and in some cases supplanted by, more sophisticated in vitro and computational preclinical models that can substantially reduce the cost and timeline of early-stage drug development.