Lineage library

Scientific lineages behind disease breakthroughs

Each history starts with a current clinical development and traces backward through the full scientific lineage that made it possible — the discoveries, tools, models, failures, and decisions across decades of research.

Lineages in development

These lineages are under active research and will be published as investigations are completed.

GLP-1 therapies and metabolic disease

Medical advance: GLP-1 medicines for diabetes and obesity

Lineage: Gut hormone biology, incretin signaling, peptide pharmacology, metabolic physiology

How basic hormone biology became large-scale metabolic medicine

In development

Cancer immunotherapy / checkpoint inhibitors

Medical advance: Immune checkpoint blockade for cancer

Lineage: T-cell biology, immune tolerance, tumor immune evasion, monoclonal antibody engineering

How basic immunology changed cancer treatment

In development

Platform lineages

Some scientific platforms span multiple trial-anchored lineages. These are tracked as broader platform lineages, with individual histories published separately.

RNA medicine for rare genetic disease

RNA-targeted therapies — including antisense oligonucleotides, siRNA, exon skipping, and splicing modulators — represent a platform with multiple trial-anchored lineages. The Angelman syndrome lineage above is the first published from this platform. Additional RNA medicine lineages may follow.

Platform lineage in development

Want to suggest a disease area or scientific history for investigation?

TrialLineage welcomes suggestions from patients, researchers, and the public.

cases@triallineage.org