The Paracelsian Concept, named after the Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus, is encapsulated in the phrase "the dose makes the poison." This principle suggests that any substance can be harmful if applied in high enough concentrations, while even traditionally harmful substances can be harmless or even provide beneficial effects at low doses.

In Vivo toxicology proof-of-concept (PoC) testing plays a crucial role in evaluating the potential risks and hazards associated with new compounds in the early stages of lead generation and pre-candidate selection, when developers are assessing the likelihood of scientific success, and investors are calculating the likelihood of financial return on their investment.

Toxicology is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on staying the adverse effects of chemicals and other substances on living organisms. it plays a crucial role in assessing and mitigating potential risks to human health, wildlife, and the environment.

Prior to any drug getting to market for human consumption there is a long and complex journey of discovery, development and rigorous evaluation. Most potential drugs fail along the way with only about 12% of the drugs that entered clinical trials reaching the pharmacy shelves.

Patients who benefit from medicines for relief from conditions such as cystic fibrosis, heart disease, tuberculosis and more recently COVID-19, have in vivo testing to thank for safe, effective and timely interventions. In fact, to many people inside and outside the scientific world, modern medicine as we know it wouldn’t be where it is today without research that involves the use of animals in drug discovery, preclinical laboratory testing and clinical trials.

As we discussed in an earlier article, governments are responding to the largest avian flu epidemic in recent years by considering a reversal of the ban on vaccinating poultry against the virus. Now there is growing concern about the potential for avian influenza to cause a serious outbreak among humans, and while the risk of infection is still relatively low, experts agree that the potential consequences of an outbreak are significant.

Good Manufacturing, Good Laboratory or Good Clinical Practice regulations all apply to laboratory testing, but they each serve different purposes with responsibilities being handled by different people. In the last of three articles we explore GCP.

In a shift of thinking, governments in the EU and UK are now considering reversing the ban on vaccinating poultry against bird flu. This is in response to the largest avian flu epidemic so far observed in Europe, with 2,467 outbreaks in poultry recorded by the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) in the 2021-2022 season, and an unprecedented number of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus variants detected.

Good Manufacturing, Good Laboratory or Good Clinical Practice regulations all apply to laboratory testing, but they each serve different purposes with responsibilities being handled by different people. In the second of three articles we explore GLP.

Good Manufacturing, Good Laboratory or Good Clinical Practice regulations all apply to laboratory testing, but they each serve different purposes with responsibilities being handled by different people.  In this first of three brief articles, we look at the role of GMPs.