Assay validation is required during the development of new drugs or biologics in order to be in compliance with regulatory requirements for all studies that are not considered research/exploratory in nature. Beyond compliance, what is the point of assay validation? Assays must be precise, robust, and specific during use in preclinical studies and clinical trials in order to assure that drug candidates can be accurately evaluated for safety and efficacy. Validation plans assure that an assay will work reliably, even if an assay is run at different sites or by different users.
Consider these other elements of assay validation to understand why it is a critical to preclinical and clinical research:
- Fit-for-purpose strategy: Each validation plan determines if an assay is made to be fit-for-purpose for a given client’s evaluation needs. Assays can be customized to meet the specific needs of a preclinical screening or clinical trial and fit-for-purpose validation assures that reliable data can be obtained from assay.
- Test scripts: Test scripts are a series of procedures to be executed during a validation in order to determine if an assay satisfies the necessary specifications or to reveal errors that must be addressed. Running test scripts is essential to the development and continued reliability of a validated assay.
- GLP compliance: Assay validation must be carried out under the same conditions as will be used for routine assay use. Good laboratory practices (GLP) conditions are needed for many preclinical and clinical applications, and routine quality assurance/quality control monitoring may also be necessary. Be aware of these special circumstances during assay validation.
Validation is so much more than a regulatory hurdle. Validation gives you confidence that an assay will yield reliable results that can be trusted to make critical decisions for advancing drug candidates or evaluating clinical efficacy.