Questioning the preclinical paradigm: natural, extreme biology as an alternative discovery platform

Rochelle Buffenstein¹, O. Lynne Nelson², Kevin C. Corbit

¹Barshop Institute for Aging and Longevity Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX USA
²Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 9916, USA

Received: October 6, 2014Accepted: November 30, 2014Published: December 4, 2014

Copyright: © 2014 Buffenstein et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

The pace at which science continues to advance is astonishing. From cosmology, microprocessors, structural engineering, and DNA sequencing our lives are continually affected by science-based technology. However, progress in treating human ailments, especially age-related conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease, moves at a relative snail's pace. Given that the amount of investment is not disproportionately low, one has to question why our hopes for the development of efficacious drugs for such grievous illnesses have been frustratingly unrealized. Here we discuss one aspect of drug development –rodent models – and propose an alternative approach to discovery research rooted in evolutionary experimentation. Our goal is to accelerate the conversation around how we can move towards more translative preclinical work.