Enforcing Reproducibility Improves the Accuracy of Scientific Predictions

 September 13, 2016

It may be time to hold scientific meetings dedicated to reproducibility issues in research, according to Daniel J. Drucker, MD, PhD, senior scientist at the Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute at Mt. Sinai Hospital, and a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto in Canada. In a recent article, Dr Drucker cites the chasm between biomedical scientists' astounding preclinical success and meager clinical translatability.¹ According to Dr Drucker, researchers should apply the rules used for clinical trials to preclinical research.
“We are bombarded daily with amazing scientific advances, often in preclinical studies, which regularly promise a cure for a disease or a game changer in approach to treatment. The reality is more sobering,” Dr Drucker told Cancer Therapy Advisor......

 Dr Drucker proposes having reproducibility symposia, and testing hypotheses in more than 1 animal model, before making a splash over a potential scientific advance. His students and postdocs are required to replicate the effects of a potential therapeutic in several animal models before exploring the potential mechanism in tissue and cell cultures. This can prevent underdeveloped conclusions that lead to false hopes among clinicians and their patients.