A massive 8-year effort finds that much cancer research can’t be replicated

Unreliable preclinical studies could impede drug development later on

illustration of orange and red prostate cancer cells

An effort to replicate nearly 200 preclinical cancer experiments that generated buzz from 2010 to 2012 found that only about a quarter could be reproduced. Prostate cancer cells are shown in this artist’s illustration.

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After eight years, a project that tried to reproduce the results of key cancer biology studies has finally concluded.