You may have the cure for AIDS in your test tube, but until you prove that it is marketable then the NCE remains that and does not become a valuable potential therapeutic agent. Proof in this case is a sliding scale balanced against risk. The next stage in development is really an increasing series of parallel processes. The production of the material needs to be scaled up and the NCE refined or purified. Methods for quantifying the material need to be developed.
Pharmacological studies pass beyond initial screening for activity to looking for side effects.
Toxicology starts to look for acute dose problems, then progresses to sub acute problems. Methods for quantifying metabolised products need to be developed. Regulatory dossiers can start to be compiled. Formulation begins Formulation Back to the top Even at the 'proof of principle' stage, the formulation can play a significant role. A soluble, stable NCE is relatively rare, such that obtaining an effective concentration in an organ bath may be impossible without for example, including a surfactant.