Abstract
Researchers in otorhinolaryngology are shifting their focus from developing drugs based on empirical evidence to using experimental methods that are more predictive, tissue-specific, and patient-oriented. By delivering medications directly to upper airway epithelial surfaces, researchers can study local toxicity, biological activity, mucosal compatibility, and therapeutic concentration before clinical exposure, making this site ideal for translational pharmacology. As a result, preclinical research now relies heavily on primary human nasal epithelial cultures, fibroblast models, respiratory epithelial systems, and cell lines from head and neck cancers. Increasingly, researchers use these platforms to assess repurposed medications, bioactive substances found in nature, agents that promote regeneration, and molecules with anticancer potential. Models that more accurately mimic human tissue biology, such as organ-on-chip technologies, high-content imaging, air-liquid interface cultures, three-dimensional organoids, patient-derived tumor models, and artificial intelligence-assisted analysis, are expected to drive the next phase. This narrative review examines how otorhinolaryngology drug discovery experiments have changed over the years and suggests a unified translational approach that starts with candidate identification and moves through conventional cellular screening, advanced human-derived models, and, finally, clinical validation. Determining a compound's biological activity is no longer the primary concern; instead, the focus is on the optimal concentration, tissue context, illness phenotype, and, ultimately, the patient who will benefit most. With this structure in place, otorhinolaryngologists may be able to speed up rational therapy development, reduce unnecessary animal use, and ease the shift toward precision medicines.
Authors
Ralph Mösges
Keywords
otorhinolaryngology; drug discovery; translational medicine; nasal epithelial cells; cell culture
Publication Information
- Publication Date
- 16.10.2026
- Submission Date
- 13.10.2026
- Accepted Date
- 14.10.2026
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Year
- 2026
- Pages
- 38-43
- Language
- English
- Status
- Published
- Views
- 7
- Downloads
- 0
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