The 22-Point Check List for Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry in Preclinical Cancer Drug Development

Cancer remains the most frequently cited disease relevance in basic and medical biology research. Yet the path from academic discovery to clinical application is often poorly understood, and significant gaps persist between academia and industry in both mindset and knowledge of the drug development process. This article outlines the essential components of contemporary preclinical cancer drug development to better equip academic researchers and strengthen the competitiveness of cancer-focused proposals. Our goal is to help bridge the translational divide, streamline the progression of academic innovations toward industry, and ultimately improve the success rate of candidate therapeutics by reducing attrition in the preclinical-to-clinical transition.