Living systematic reviews of animal and organoid evidence before every new trial
Before testing a drug in people, someone should systematically gather all the animal and laboratory evidence, including the studies that failed. Almost no cancer trial does this.
CAMARADES and the SYRCLE group have shown that systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical studies reveals publication bias, small-study effects and true effect sizes far below those in the headline papers. Requiring a registered, continuously updated systematic review of preclinical evidence (with automated literature surveillance) as part of any trial protocol or ethics application would ground trial decisions in the whole evidence base.
- Preclinical results do not reproduce · Fewer than half of landmark cancer biology findings reproduce when someone else tries.
- Failures are hidden · Negative trials, failed drugs and abandoned programmes are rarely published, so the same mistakes are repeated.
Pages like this
not linked directly; found by shared links- IdeaBounties for documented failed replications of high-impact findings
Shares A registry for preclinical experiments that did not work, Preclinical results do not reproduce, Failures are hidden.
- IdeaGrant progress reports must list what did not work
Shares A registry for preclinical experiments that did not work, Failures are hidden.
- IdeaSmall grants that pay scientists to write up abandoned projects
Shares A registry for preclinical experiments that did not work, Failures are hidden.
- IdeaA global ledger of negative results and failed compounds with mandatory deposition
Shares Preclinical results do not reproduce, Failures are hidden.
- IdeaA target de-risking index that counts failures as well as successes
Shares A registry for preclinical experiments that did not work, Failures are hidden.
- IdeaPre-registration and results reporting for real-world cancer studies
Shares Preclinical results do not reproduce, Failures are hidden.
- IdeaA home for the animal and organoid experiments that failed
Shares Preclinical results do not reproduce, Failures are hidden.
- IdeaPre-register animal efficacy studies like clinical trials
Shares Preclinical results do not reproduce, Failures are hidden.