DNA-Damage Test Could Aid Drug Development, Whitehead Institute Study Finds
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (May 14, 2007) – In the daunting marathon that leads to successful drugs, promising drug candidates must pass toxicity tests before entering clinical trials. Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Whitehead Institute have developed a cell culture test for assessing a compound’s genetic toxicity that may prove dramatically cheaper than existing animal tests. This assay would allow genetic toxicity to be examined far earlier in the drug development process, making it much more efficient.