preclinical

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pre·clin·i·cal / prēˈklinikəl/ • adj. Med. relating to or denoting a stage preceding a clinical stage, in particular: ∎  relating to or denoting the first, chiefly theoretical, stage of a medical education: preclinical students. ∎  relating to or denoting the stage in a disease prior to the appearance of symptoms that make a diagnosis possible. ∎  relating to or denoting the stage of drug testing that precedes the clinical stage.