Commentary: Contribution of pathology to drug research and development in the next decade

The extent to which the pathologist's broad skills and understanding of disease processes are used within a company will very much depend upon how pathology is viewed within that company's culture. Like the definition of pathology given above, 2 diverse approaches are possible. If pathology is seen as a scientific study of the nature of disease and of its causes, processes, development, and consequences, then pathologists' activities will encompass both research and development and will be process oriented and investigative. Subsequently, pathologists will be members of research and project teams and will provide a pathology service in toxicology that is geared toward interpretation and mechanisms rather than one that is simply a descriptive reporting of study findings. This is the optimal use of a pathologist. It does, however, require a high level of communicative skills that enable the pathologist to explain the diagnoses and findings to researchers, in-house teams, and clinicians. On the other hand, if pathology is only seen as the anatomic manifestation of disease, pathologists will provide a traditional descriptive diagnostic service very similar to that offered by contract research organizations. Pathologists are persons who, by the very nature of their training and skills, can make an important contribution to research (efficacy) and development (safety). Two final quotes from Heraclitus (2, 4) demonstrate the potential of a pathologist, as well as of other scientists, within a company: 'A lot of learning does not teach understanding'; and 'One man is the equivalent of ten thousand, provided he be the best.' There is no substitute for raw intelligence or quality.