scoteography

Preamble:  New drugs are typically no longer discovered through ancient lore of herbalists, trial-and-error or happy coincidences. Instead, basic research at the cellular level is used to explore and understand the mechanisms of both diseases and various chemicals that might counteract those diseases. These discoveries hopefully lead to possible ways to interact specifically in a targeted manner, such as designing new or repurposing old chemicals that might become medicines. These potential medications are then studied in Preclinical trials, consisting of "in-vitro" studies, which study the potential medication's effect on living cells in a petri-dish, vial or flask, and also "in-vivo" studies on insects or animals. The goal is to see if the potential medication might work in that specific situation and also to try to understand what dose would be appropriate to have the desired effect with the fewest toxic effects. This is followed by Phase 1-4 Clinical Trials,