How do the planners work?
Pick the planner for your study type and fill in what you know. Every field is optional. The plan on the right updates as you type: a blank field reads Not provided, a field you mark as not decided reads To be decided, and both go on a checklist of open decisions. Where you enter numbers, the planner does the arithmetic (total animals, test wells, samples) and shows its assumptions. Copy the plan or print it to PDF from your browser.
The rules are simple and visible: the planners never invent a value, never suggest a sample size, and never claim that a plan meets GLP, GMP or regulatory requirements. Each page cites the guidelines and papers behind its explanations, such as ARRIVE 2.0 for animal studies and ICH M10 for bioanalysis.
What are the general principles of preclinical study design?
State the question and the primary outcome before anything else; define the experimental unit and how the sample size was chosen; decide how subjects are allocated and whether assessment is blinded; agree the controls and the analysis in advance; and write down the decisions that are still open. The ARRIVE 2.0 Essential 10 is a useful checklist for animal studies even at the planning stage, and the planners follow the same logic for other study types.
Lab calculators
For the bench maths behind a plan, see the free lab calculators: molarity, dilution, serial dilution, cell seeding, cell viability, antibody dilution, reconstitution, DNA and RNA concentration, RPM to RCF, and a 96 and 384 well plate layout planner.
Frequently asked questions
What do the study planners do?
Each planner asks the questions a study plan needs to answer for one type of work, such as an in vivo efficacy study or a PK study, and turns your answers into a structured outline. Anything you leave blank or mark as undecided goes on a checklist of open decisions. You can copy or print the result.
Are the planners free, and do I need an account?
They are free and need no account, email or payment. Using a planner never requires requesting a quote.
Is my study information stored or shared?
No. The planners run in your browser. Nothing you type is saved, sent to BioBridgeX, added to the page address, or passed to analytics or AI services.
Do the planners recommend sample sizes or decide which studies I need?
No. They organize requirements; they are not validated protocols. Where you enter numbers, a planner multiplies them and shows the assumptions, but sample sizes should come from a statistician and regulatory decisions from a regulatory expert.
What are the types of preclinical studies?
Broadly, pharmacology (in vitro and in vivo efficacy), pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism, bioanalysis, and safety studies such as toxicology, safety pharmacology and genotoxicity, with manufacturing of the test material alongside. The guide to IND-enabling studies explains how they fit together before a first-in-human trial.
What is the difference between in vivo and in vitro studies?
In vitro studies use cells, tissues or biochemical systems outside a living organism; in vivo studies use living animals. In vitro work screens and ranks; in vivo work tests efficacy, exposure and safety in a whole organism.
What happens after I make a plan?
Share it with your team for review. If you want outside support, each planner links to the matching service on BioBridgeX, where you can compare quotes from vetted CROs and CDMOs. That step is always optional.
When a plan is ready, explore suppliers by service on BioBridgeX and compare quotes from vetted CROs and CDMOs. Free for buyers. The planners work the same whether or not you ever do.