preclinical

American  

[pree-klin-i-kuhl] / priˈklɪn ɪ kəl /

adjective

Medicine/Medical.

1. of or relating to the period prior to the appearance of the symptoms.

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preclinical British  

/ priːˈklɪnɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or occurring during the early phases of a disease before accurate diagnosis is possible

2. of, relating to, or designating an early period of scientific study by a medical student before practical experience with patients

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Other Word Forms

• preclinically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of preclinical

First recorded in 1930–35; pre- + clinical

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

preclinical

Steinberg, an executive member of NexusHealth at McMaster and chief scientific officer, shareholder and co-founder of Espervita Therapeutics, recently co-authored preclinical research describing a promising drug candidate for advanced liver disease.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

In preclinical experiments, combining telmisartan with olaparib increased DNA damage inside cancer cells while also activating important immune defenses.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

While big pharma companies elsewhere take about four-and-a-half years to move from identifying a novel drug target to preclinical trials, Chinese firms take roughly two-and-a-half years, Zhavoronkov said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

The diet works by generating periodic resets, which involve metabolic reprogramming and, based on preclinical studies, also regenerative effects in multiple systems and organs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

"Because reducing amyloid burden is clinically proven to improve functional outcomes, these preclinical results strongly support the rationale for testing this drug in early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026