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

The group of experts recommends using two levels of obesity: preclinical and clinical. —Melissa Rudy, Fox News, 20 Jan. 2025

Whyte told Flow Space that the evidence surrounding GLP-1 drugs and their treatment of addiction is promising but is still in preclinical and early-stage trials. —Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 2 Jan. 2025

Research and development expenses increased to $7.9 million from $5.3 million in the prior year quarter, primarily due to the acceleration of preclinical and clinical research and development activities. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 12 Nov. 2024

Step 4: In Vitro, Preclinical, and Clinical Testing All new drug candidates must still be taken through preclinical and clinical trials to fully establish their safety and effectiveness. —Chuck Brooks, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical 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