Science
25 February 2011 vol 331, issue 6020, pages 975-1098
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

EDITORIAL:
Advancing Regulatory Science
Margaret A. Hamburg, Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Summary
Ensuring the safety and quality of food and medical products has never been more complicated. Societies around the world face increasingly complex challenges that require harnessing the best available science and technology on behalf of patients and consumers. This effort requires a strong field of regulatory science to develop new tools, standards, and approaches that efficiently and consistently assess the safety, efficacy, quality, and performance of products. Yet, despite being a critical component of the scientific enterprise, regulatory science has long been underappreciated and underfunded.