preclinical
adjective
pre·clin·i·cal
(ˌ)prē-ˈkli-ni-kəl 
1
: of, relating to, or concerned with the period preceding clinical manifestations
2
: of, relating to, or being the period in medical or dental education preceding the clinical study of medicine or dentistry
3
: occurring prior to clinical testing
a preclinical animal study of a new therapy
Examples of preclinical in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2022, the Chinese Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery published a review of preclinical and clinical studies demonstrating the properties of a PN, polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), mainly extracted from salmon sperm cells.
—
New Atlas, 26 May 2025
There is a lack of clinical trials, and much of the evidence comes from preclinical and observational studies.
—Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Today, studies are asking more questions and including female participants in both preclinical and clinical research.
—Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 7 Apr. 2025
At present, the prototype is undergoing preclinical testing with human patients at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, in Australia.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2025
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New Atlas, 26 May 2025
There is a lack of clinical trials, and much of the evidence comes from preclinical and observational studies.
—Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Today, studies are asking more questions and including female participants in both preclinical and clinical research.
—Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 7 Apr. 2025
At present, the prototype is undergoing preclinical testing with human patients at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, in Australia.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for preclinical
Cite this Entry
“Preclinical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preclinical. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
preclinical
adjective
pre·clin·i·cal
(ˈ)prē-ˈklin-i-kəl
1
a
: of, relating to, concerned with, or being the period preceding clinical manifestations
the preclinical stage of diabetes mellitus
b
: occurring prior to a clinical trial
preclinical animal testing to assess a drug's safety
2
: of, relating to, or being the period in medical or dental education preceding the clinical study of medicine or dentistry
the preclinical years
specifically
: of or relating to the early period of prescribed medical or dental study devoted to the basic sciences (as anatomy, physiology, and pathology)
preclinical studies
3
: of, relating to, or being a science basic to medicine
research in the preclinical sciences
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