Roadmap
Four things you need to know about Clinical and Translational Science
1. What is Clinical and Translational Science? In a nutshell, Clinical and Translational Science (CTS) is the process of moving scientific discoveries from laboratories to actual clinical practices in a physician’s office that benefit a patient. Some refer to the process as the “bench to bedside” approach. The goal of CTS is to bridge what some biomedical researchers are calling the Valley of Death. Despite many scientific discoveries being made each year in the US about the causes of disease and disability, there is problem getting this information translated into drugs, medical treatment and clinical procedures for patients and communities needing health care.
2. The Different Types of CTS. There are three different types of CTS, commonly referred to as the 3Ts. The first is T1 (or Translation 1) which refers to the transformation of evidence from basic science research into practical, clinical procedures or methods that can be used to treat patients. Again, this is the “bench to bedside” approach. Next is T2 research which is a refinement of T1 research to determine what of the clinical procedures or methods work best for which patients in what situations. T3 research takes the translational one step further to indentify that best ways to implement the new clinical knowledge throughout the entire health care system so that all patients can benefit from the new medical treatments. T3 research is also known as practice-based research.
3. The Road Map. The NIH Roadmap is the strategic plan used by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund and guide biomedical research in the United States. The NIH recognizes that many issues need to be addressed to improve biomedical research in the US so the roadmap includes three different initiatives. The first is the New Pathways to Discovery which funds research that will improve our understanding of the human body and complex biological systems. The next is Research Teams of the Future which focuses on improving how researchers work and collaborate with each other on scientific discoveries. The third and final is Re-engineering the Clinical Research Enterprise which aims to speed up and improve the transformation of scientific discoveries to real-life medical treatments byre-vitalizing research infrastructure in the US.
4. The Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs). Since 2006, the NIH has funded 38 different CTSA academic research centers throughout the US. Institutions interested in establishing their own CTS research center apply for funding from the NIH through the CTSA funding mechanism. The purpose of these research centers is to conduct CTS research, train new researchers in CTS methods and improve the way in which CTS is conducted. In May 2008, UAB received CTSA funding from the NIH and established the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
