Translational medicine

Translational medicine (also referred to as translational science) is a discipline within biomedical and public health research that aims to improve the health of individuals and the community by "translating" findings into diagnostic tools, medicines, procedures, policies and education.

Translational medicine is a rapidly growing discipline in biomedical research and aims to expedite the discovery of new diagnostic tools and treatments by using a multi-disciplinary, highly collaborative, "bench-to-bedside" approach.[1] Within public health, translational medicine is focused on ensuring that proven strategies for disease treatment and prevention are actually implemented within the community. One prevalent description of translational medicine, first introduced by the Institute of Medicine's Clinical Research Roundtable, highlights two roadblocks (i.e., distinct areas in need of improvement): the first translational block (T1) prevents basic research findings from being tested in a clinical setting; the second translational block (T2) prevents proven interventions from becoming standard practice.[2]

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has made a major push to fund translational medicine, especially within biomedical research, with a focus on cross-functional collaborations (e.g., between researchers and clinicians); leveraging new technology and data analysis tools; and increasing the speed at which new treatments reach patients. In December 2011, The National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) was established within the NIH to "transform the translational science process so that new treatments and cures for disease can be delivered to patients faster." [3] The Clinical and Translational Science Awards, established in 2006 and now funded by NCATS, supports 60 centers across the country that provide "academic homes for translational sciences and supporting research resources needed by local and national research communities." [4] According to an article published in 2007 in Science Career Magazine, in 2007 to 2013 the European Commission targeted a majority of its €6 billion budget for health research to further translational medicine.[5]

Postgraduate degree courses

The University of Edinburgh has been running an MSc in Translational Medicine program since 2007. It is a 3-year online distance learning programme aimed at the working health professional.[6]

Imperial College London,University College London,Oxford and Cambridge Universities run post-graduate courses in Translational Medicine too.

Andy Grove has pledged $1.5 million so that the University of California campuses in San Francisco and Berkeley can start a joint master's degree program aimed at translational medicine.[7]

A master's degree programme in translational medicine was started at the University of Helsinki in 2010.

Aalborg University Denmark has been running a Master's degree in translational medicine since 2009.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California was accredited in 2012 for a doctoral program in Biomedical Science and Translational Medicine. The PhD program focuses on biomedical and clinical research that relate directly to developing new therapies for patients.[8]

James Lind Institute has been conducting a Postgraduate Diploma in Translational Medicine since early 2013. The program has been supported by the Universiti Sains Malaysia.[9]

The University of Southern California (USC) School of Pharmacy offers a course in Translational Medicine.

Newcastle University also offers an MRes course in Translational Medicine.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Woolf, Stephen H. (January 2008), "The Meaning of Translational Research and Why It Matters", JAMA 299 (2): 3140–3148, doi:10.1001/jama.2007.26, PMID 12633190
  2. ↑ Sung, NS; Crowley, WF; Genel, M (January 2008), "The Meaning of Translational Research and Why It Matters", JAMA 299 (2): 3140–3148, doi:10.1001/jama.2007.26, PMID 12633190
  3. ↑ http://www.ncats.nih.gov/about/about.html
  4. ↑ http://www.ncats.nih.gov/research/cts/ctsa/about/about.html
  5. ↑ http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2007_08_17/caredit.a0700119
  6. ↑ http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=2607"; Online learning in translational medicine
  7. ↑ http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/grove-backs-an-engineers-approach-to-medicine/?ref=technology Grove backs an engineer's approach to medicine"; New York Times blog
  8. ↑ "cedars-sinai".
  9. ↑ "JLI Translational Medicine".
  10. ↑ http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/translational-medicine-therapeutics-mres.html#profile

External links