The Journal of Preclinical Therapeutics (JPT) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal publishing rigorous preclinical and translational research that advances therapeutic candidates, mechanisms, delivery systems, and non-clinical methodologies toward potential clinical development, using appropriately validated non-human in vitro, ex vivo, in vivo, and experimentally supported in silico models.
JPT is positioned at the interface of drug discovery, preclinical pharmacology, safety and PK/PD, therapeutic optimization, and translational evidence — publishing non-clinical evidence that helps determine whether a therapeutic candidate, mechanism, or delivery strategy merits further development.
Core Subject Areas
- Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics — receptor and enzyme pharmacology, target engagement, mechanism-of-action studies, ADME profiling, and dose–exposure–response relationships.
- Toxicology & Safety Pharmacology — acute to chronic toxicity, hepato-, nephro-, cardio-, and neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, and determination of NOAEL, LOAEL, and safety margins.
- Translational Efficacy & Disease Modeling — validated preclinical disease models, therapeutic efficacy studies, biomarker-based investigations, target engagement, and clinically relevant translational endpoints.
- Drug Discovery & Lead Optimization — target validation, hit identification and characterization, lead optimization, and structure–activity relationship studies linked to biological activity.
- Formulation & Advanced Drug Delivery Systems — novel drug delivery systems (NDDS), including liposomal, lipid-based, polymeric, nanoparticulate, targeted, and stimuli-responsive platforms, supported by appropriate preclinical biological evaluation.
- Biologics & Immunopharmacology — monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, therapeutic peptides, nucleic-acid therapeutics, and immunomodulatory interventions, including their preclinical pharmacology, efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of action.
- Computational Therapeutics & In Silico Modeling — molecular docking, molecular dynamics, QSAR, computer-aided drug design (CADD), PBPK modelling, and related computational approaches when integrated with meaningful experimental or biological validation.
- Phytoconstituent Pharmacology — preclinical studies involving isolated, chemically characterized, and appropriately standardized phytoconstituents with a defined pharmacological or therapeutic rationale.
- Methodology & New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) — organ-on-a-chip technologies, organoid and 3D models, microphysiological systems, advanced cellular models, and other approaches that improve translational predictability or advance the 3Rs: Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement.
This list defines the journal's core focus but is not exhaustive. Submissions addressing other scientifically relevant preclinical or translational drug-development questions may be considered at the editors' discretion, provided that they are rigorous, scientifically justified, and clearly within the journal's non-clinical scope.
Out of Scope
JPT does not consider manuscripts primarily comprising:
- Human clinical trials, clinical observational studies, or human case reports;
- Studies based solely on crude, inadequately characterized, or chemically unstandardized herbal or plant extracts;
- Purely computational or in silico studies without meaningful biological or experimental validation;
- Formulation-development studies lacking relevant preclinical biological, pharmacological, safety, or therapeutic evaluation;
- Basic descriptive biological studies without a defined therapeutic candidate, pharmacological hypothesis, or translational objective.
Manuscripts may also be declined at editorial screening where the experimental design, methodological rigor, statistical analysis, ethical compliance, or reporting quality is insufficient to support the stated conclusions.
Article Types
Original Research Articles — full-length reports presenting novel and methodologically rigorous preclinical or translational research. Recommended maximum: ≤6,000 words, excluding references, tables, and figure legends.
Critical Review Articles — comprehensive, critical, and thesis-driven assessments of emerging preclinical therapeutic areas, mechanisms, methodologies, or translational challenges. Reviews should provide critical synthesis rather than merely descriptive summaries. Recommended maximum: ≤8,000 words, excluding references, tables, and figure legends.
Short Communications — concise reports describing important preliminary or focused preclinical findings, distinctive pharmacodynamic observations, methodological adaptations, or potentially significant translational observations. Recommended maximum: ≤3,000 words, excluding references, tables, and figure legends.
Review & Ethics
All submissions involving animal models must include documented ethics/IACUC approval and comply with ARRIVE 2.0 reporting guidelines, including the ARRIVE Essential 10 checklist. All submissions undergo double-blind peer review with a minimum of two independent reviewers. JPT supports the responsible implementation of the 3Rs throughout preclinical research. Accepted articles are published under a CC BY 4.0 license with immediate open access, at no cost to authors, and no embargo period.