On 12 February, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) published a landmark review examining the UK’s capabilities in developing human-relevant preclinical models for medicine development.

The report, ‘From models to medicines: A landscape review of human-relevant pre-clinical model development in the UK‘, highlights that the UK has a strong foundation of scientific excellence and innovation. However, it also reveals a significant ‘translational readiness gap’ between predictive models developed in academic settings and what pharmaceutical companies need to develop effective medicines.

Commenting on the report, Dr Martin Main, Chief Scientific Officer at Medicines Discovery Catapult, said:

“Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) supports the findings of the ‘From models to medicines’ report released by ABPI and NC3Rs. This report highlights the need to bridge the gap between early-stage research and industry adoption to drive clinical impact. Achieving this will require support from national innovation centres like MDC to help innovators translate pioneering research into new medicines.

“As highlighted in the UK’s Life Science Sector Plan, the growing shift toward new approach methodologies (NAMs) in preclinical research represents a significant opportunity for drug discovery innovators. Human diseases are highly complex, and improving the models used in laboratories to improve translation to patients will help researchers evaluate new treatments more effectively and better predict patient response in clinical trials. This gear change will facilitate smarter decision-making earlier in the drug development process, leading to more effective medicines and improved outcomes for patients.”

Read the report in full here >