Sex bias in preclinical research and an exploration of how to change the status quo

There has been a revolution within clinical trials to include females in the research pipeline. However, there has been limited change in the preclinical arena; yet the research here lays the ground work for the subsequent clinical trials. Sex bias has been highlighted as one of the contributing factors to the poor translation and replicability issues undermining preclinical research. There have been multiple calls for action, and the funders of biomedical research are actively pushing the inclusion of sex as a biological variable. Here, we consider the current standard practice within the preclinical research setting, why there is a movement to include females and why the imbalance exists. We explore organizational change theory as a tool to shape strategies needed at an individual and institute level to change the status quo. The ultimate goal is to create a scientific environment in which our preclinical research automatically implements sex-sensitive approaches. LINKED ARTICLES This article is part of a themed section on The Importance of Sex Differences in Pharmacology Research. To view the other articles in this section visit