Reimagining human-centric drug development with new approach methodologies

Traditionally, drug discovery has relied on animal models of human disease, especially mice, to develop and test potential therapeutic approaches before using them in patients. Unfortunately, animals do not always mimic human physiology accurately, and this can result in drug candidates that look promising in preclinical testing but fail subsequent human trials. Conversely, there may be compounds that could work against human disease but have not yet been discovered because they target receptors or disease conditions that are not present in animal models. In a review, Wu et al. discuss a variety of methods that are beginning to fill this translational gap, as well as the ethical and regulatory considerations involved in integrating alternative methodologies into the process of drug development. —Yevgeniya Nusinovich