Once researchers identify a promising compound for development, they conduct experiments to gather information on How it is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted. Its potential benefits and mechanisms of action. The best dosage The best way to give the drug (such as by mouth or injection). Side effects or adverse events that can often be referred to as toxicity. How it affects different groups of people (such as by gender, race, or ethnicity) differently. How it interacts with other drugs and treatments.  Its effectiveness as compared with similar drugs. While preclinical research answers basic questions about a drug’s safety, it is not a substitute for studies of ways the drug will interact with the human body. “Clinical research” refers to studies, or trials, that are done in people. As the developers design the clinical study, they will consider what they want to accomplish for each of the different Clinical Research Phases and begin the Investigational New Drug Process (IND), a process they must go through before clinical research begins.