Applying basic research knowledge to practical applications is a well-known obstacle to?progress?in science. This issue is seen most often in medical science. There is often a lag between emerging scientific findings and their application as treatments to patients who may benefit from them.Translational research is aimed at taking basic science? research to the next level.?It connects new discoveries to application in patients.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration
There are four basic steps to consider in this research tactic.

• Development of techniques to translate new knowledge generated in a lab environment, or at the bench level, to human testing
• Refinement of human study results for? clinical use
• Transference of practices from academic medical centers to use in the care of patients in community practice
• Continued evaluation of data from the previous steps to provide confirmation of the efficacy and tolerability of new therapies

The goal of translational research is to quicken the transition from the lab to the patients who may benefit from the basic science findings. Thus translational research is a collaborative effort among basic researchers, academic physicians and community health professionals to provide new treatments to appropriate patient populations.

Funding Options
Translational research can potentially expand the funding options for a project.

• Researchers benefit by working with a center that is able to provide seed funding. They reduce overall project costs by utilizing basic science center personnel for development of new therapies that then can be applied to patients in the community..
• For universities, setting up a translational research center is a tactical approach to improving funding options. Through the research center, academic organizations develop strategic plans to provide improvements in public health benefitting overall community.
• Communities benefit by gaining a stake in the study. The community becomes a contributing member of innovative medical research.

Stoking Excitement in a Field of Study
The developing barriers between research and clinical applications tend to dim interest in research projects. Moving towards a translational approach expands these possibilities. The power to take new knowledge from the bench to a clinic setting and then back to the bench for analysis lifts some of the impediments to expanding interest in a project.

Physicians in the community are able to see
basic research translated into practical application. A project that was once unapproachable due to time constraints and the complexity of the study boundaries will now draw interest and participation.

Translational research is a bench-to-bedside approach to medical developments. With this two-fold methodology, basic science presents tools to clinicians that have the potential to improve patient care. Clinicians are able to make observations and provide valuable feedback about the progression of disease that will lead to more discoveries. A translational model benefits the community by speeding the application of new research findings to patients and thus drives the clinical research progress at a quicker pace.

The Oncology Consortia of Criterium believes this methodology is the best way to speed results of research to benefit the public – it’s why we say we are “Changing the Way Cancer is Managed”.? Read more about our approach at the Academic GI Cancer Consortium or at the Academic Myeloma Consortia web pages.

Got Questions? We have Answers! Contact us at CriteriumBlog@criteriuminc.com

Claire WyntersThu, 11 Apr 2013 15:07:00 GMT