Prof VY Pre-clinical Research in Drug Discovery Flashcards
General approaches to conducting a study (3)
- what it means
- Deductive
- draw conclusions from data
- may follow after inductive approach - Inductive
- set up alternative hypotheses & devise experiment to draw conclusion - Empirical
- discovery
Alternative hypothesis definition
- indicates 2 possible alternatives
Directional hypothesis definition
- determine the direction of the relationship between the independent variable & dependent variable
Can a hypothesis be proven?
No
It can only be disproven
Why is there a need to do “pilot study” ? (2)
- assess feasibility of the the study
- saves time & money
How to differentiate “good” from “not so good” scientific paper? (4)
- clear & concisely written
- rationale & methods are sound
- findings are novel
- quantity & quality of the paper
Common problems associated with poor studies? (4)
- Failure to include adequate controls
- Poor experimental design
- Failure to recognise multiple causes underlying a phenomenon
- confounders - Conclusion not completely warranted by the data
Common problems associated with poor studies? (4)
- Failure to include adequate controls
- Poor experimental design
- Failure to recognise multiple causes underlying a phenomenon
- confounders - Conclusion not completely warranted by the data
Types of controls (2)
- Positive control
2. Negative control
Importance of positive control (3)
- show that certain molecules required to be present to yield positive results
- to prove against false -ve
- sensitivity
Importance of negative control (3)
- show that the absence of certain molecules that might interfere with the results
- to prove against false +ve
- specificity
Why scientific research needs to include adequate controls?
To serve as positive & negative controls to prove sensitivity & specificity
Sensitivity error
False -ve
Specificity error
False +ve
Poor experimental design examples (3)
- inadequate sample size
- irrational methods
- confounders not accounted for