title: Practical aspects of discovery pathology.
abstract: Pathologists are uniquely qualified to play a central role in driving drug discovery and development programs by: 1) establishing disease models to assess potential therapies, 2) characterizing modifications in the disease state in response to therapies, 3) characterizing toxicologic mechanisms and responses to drug candidates, and 4) facilitating multidisciplinary efforts to monitor for the clinical occurrence, progression, and reversibility of adverse events. Such nontraditional deployment of resources must, to be viable, produce benefits to the pharmaceutical industry comparable to those of more conventional activities such as delivery of data in nonclinical safety studies. Additionally, benefits must be tangible from standpoints such as time savings or improved quality of research decisions, manifesting as either program acceleration or improved candidate survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Safety Evaluation, Pfizer Global Research and Development, Groton, CT 06340, USA. John_E_Burkhardt@groton.pfizer.com
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Burkhardt
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: Paul-Georg
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Germann
mesh_terms: D042462:4-Quinolones; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000633:toxicity; D000906:Antibodies / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000276:immunology; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D010336:Pathology / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends*; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D012106:Research; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
chemical_list: D042462:4-Quinolones; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D000906:Antibodies; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D008222:Lymphokines; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors