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

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

"This study was the first to investigate the impact of terpenes in preclinical models of fibromyalgia and post-operative pain and expand the scope of potential pain-relieving treatments using terpenes."

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

One example is using computer models rather than pipette-wielding humans in preclinical screens of molecules.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

Ascidian will lead discovery and preclinical activities; Eli Lilly will handle clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

The research team is now developing small molecules designed to block cysteine 148 and plans to evaluate them in future preclinical studies.

From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026