Adjective: preclinical pree'kli-ni-kul
- Of or relating to the early phases of a disease when accurate diagnosis is not possible because symptoms of the disease have not yet appeared
"This work covers effectively all aspects of drug-induced pathology that may be encountered within preclinical toxicity studies";
- presymptomatic
- (medicine) relating to or characterizing the phase of testing before clinical trials in humans
"The drug showed promise in preclinical studies"
Encyclopedia: Preclinical