Opinion: Dr. Thomas Südhof on medical trial flops

Practice Management

Thomas C. Südhof, MD, considers whether some medical trials lack the groundwork for success, in an opinion piece published by The Washington Post. Dr. Südhof serves as a neurosurgery, psychiatry, neurology and molecular and cellular physiology professor at Stanford (Calif.) University. He won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2013.

Dr. Südhof argues some major trials don't possess the necessary "underlying science," reflecting a "moonshot in the dark." He suggests the industry change the methods for biomedical research and drug development.

 

The first step involves actually understanding the diseases for which researchers seek treatments. Dr. Südhof comments without grasping a disease's mechanisms, researchers will have little luck finding a treatment.

 

He notes the majority of genes possess various functions, and if researchers are unaware of all those tasks, they will likely target the incorrect ones for therapy.

 

Moving forward, Dr. Südhof encourages funds and time to go toward basic research of diseases. With this foundation, researchers should then move forward into clinical trials equipped with a solid plan.

 

 

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