Drug Discovery

An open source pharma roadmap

In an Essay, Matthew Todd and colleagues discuss an open source approach to drug development. This Essay outlines how open source methods of working could be applied to the discovery and development of new medicines. There are many potential …

Current Incentives for Scientists Lead to Underpowered Studies with Erroneous Conclusions

We can regard the wider incentive structures that operate across science, such as the priority given to novel findings, as an ecosystem within which scientists strive to maximise their fitness (i.e., publication record and career success). Here, we …

Open Access Target Validation Is a More Efficient Way to Accelerate Drug Discovery

There is a scarcity of novel treatments to address many unmet medical needs. Industry and academia are finally coming to terms with the fact that the prevalent models and incentives for innovation in early stage drug discovery are failing to promote …

Systematic Review of the Empirical Evidence of Study Publication Bias and Outcome Reporting Bias — An Updated Review

Background The increased use of meta-analysis in systematic reviews of healthcare interventions has highlighted several types of bias that can arise during the completion of a randomised controlled trial. Study publication bias and outcome reporting …

The Economics of Reproducibility in Preclinical Research

Low reproducibility rates within life science research undermine cumulative knowledge production and contribute to both delays and costs of therapeutic drug development. An analysis of past studies indicates that the cumulative (total) prevalence of …