During the drug discovery phase, histological techniques are employed to examine how potential drug candidates affect tissues at the cellular level. This involves staining tissues with various histochemical dyes to visualize different cell types and structures. For instance, histology can reveal whether a drug induces apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancer cells or whether it causes unwanted damage to healthy tissues. Understanding these interactions early on is critical for refining drug candidates before they proceed to clinical trials.
