06/17/2026
Due Diligence, Overdue ... ?
In 2014 Steve Perrin from ALS-TDI published an editorial in Nature entitled, "Make mouse studies work". While we ourselves believe in mouse models, Dr Perrin makes important points that persist as first principles – and are worth mentioning to safeguard patients and stockholders alike.
In summary, for then and now, many promising treatments fail in human clinical trials because preclinical animal studies are often poorly designed. Although over 80% of drugs that succeed in animal studies fail in humans, this discordance is often due to poorly designed preclinical research rather than the animal models themselves. Weak animal studies can lead to costly and ineffective clinical trials, wasting money and valuable time for patients with terminal illnesses. In ALS research, successes inspired new guidelines to improve animal testing by using better disease assessment, monitoring, and statistical models. While these methods require more time and resources, they reduce false positives and help prevent unnecessary clinical trials, ultimately saving both money and lives.
To read Lucy's full summary and perspective, see https://artisanbio.com/due-diligence-overdue/
