A program to accelerate the transformation of biomedical discoveries into patient treatments has awarded $37.2 million to a consortium headed by UC San Diego Health Sciences and its Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI). A $20 million grant also was awarded for a similar consortium in New England, headed by the University of Massachusetts Center for Clinical and Translational Science in Worcester, MA.
The five-year grants awarded by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) are intended to boost what’s known as “translational science,” a term now in vogue that encompasses the concept of rapidly translating lab research into new and effective therapies. The grants also are intended to enhance collaboration among clinical and biomedical researchers, and help to train a variety of scientists and medical practitioners. UCSD’s CTRI and UM’s CCTS are among nine research centers across the country to get a total of $255 million announced today as part of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program.
Information about all nine awards announced today is available here.
The National Institutes of Health, which launched the CTSA program with NCRR four years ago, has created a nationwide network of medical research centers to provide both clinical and translational science researchers with the funding, tools, and training they need to take basic discoveries from the bench to the bedside. With today’s awards, 55 institutions in 28 states and the District of Columbia are part of the consortium. A sixth and final round of awards is expected at this time next year. When fully implemented, 60 institutions will be linked together “to energize the discipline of clinical and translational science,” according to the NCRR.
The San Diego consortium headed