On the exploitation of serendipity in drug discovery
Date
2013-04-21Document type
articleÁrea/s de conocimiento
PsicologíaMateria/s Unesco
3201.05 Psicología ClínicaAbstract
We have written previously about the nature of serendipity and
the role that it played in the “Psychopharmacology Revolution” of the
1950s and 1960s [1-3]. However, we have not previously addressed the
issue of whether it is possible or desirable to design studies to enhance
and exploit serendipity. We do so here.
First, it is essential to establish a definition of serendipity. As we
suggested previously [1], the term serendipity shall be defined as “the
discovery of something not sought”. This definition, like most others,
requires the element of sagacity. The observation of “something not
sought” will not lead to discovery unless someone has the mental
discernment (sagacity) required to recognize that the observation
has significance. However, sagacity cannot be used to differentiate
serendipitous from non-serendipitous discoveries because it is a
necessary attribute of both. Sagacity and discovery are synonyms in
this context