| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
* Interdepartmental Program in Vascular Biology and Transplantation, Yale University School of Medicine, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06536-0812, USA; and
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania 19041-1392, USA
1Correspondence: Yale University School of Medicine, Interdepartmental Program in Vascular Biology and Transplantation, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine, 295 Congress Ave., BCMM 454, New Haven, CT 06536-0812, USA. E-mail: jordan.pober{at}yale.edu
Over the last quarter of the 20th century, there has been a boom in biomedical research discoveries that, for the most part, has not been successfully exploited for improving medical therapy or diagnosis. This lack of success is surprising because there is a broad consensus within academic medical centers (AMCs) that a primary mission is to move scientific discoveries into meaningful clinical outcomes, and there are numerous opportunities for doing so. We illustrate the latter point with 10 clinical opportunities for translating scientific discoveries from our field of vascular biology and transplantation. We attribute the limited success of translation to various factors, chief of which is that translation is rarely straightforward and requires continuing research in both the clinic and the laboratory. Translational research is hindered by insufficient targeted resources, a shortage of qualified investigators, an academic culture that hinders collaboration between clinical and laboratory-based investigators, a traditional structure of the AMC that favors departmental efforts over interdisciplinary programs, an increasing regulatory burden, and a lack of specific mechanisms within the AMC for facilitating solutions to these problems. We offer several suggestions to reduce these impediments.—Pober, J. S., Neuhauser, C. S., Pober, J. M. Obstacles facing translational research in academic medical centers.
Key Words: clinical and basic science research • interdisciplinary • interdepartmental • collaboration
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  W. P. Newton and C. A. DuBard Shaping the Future of Academic Health Centers: The Potential Contributions of Departments of Family Medicine Ann. Fam. Med, September 1, 2006; 4(suppl_1): S2 - S11. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 N. C. Tkacs and H. J. Thompson From bedside to bench and back again: research issues in animal models of human disease. Biol Res Nurs, July 1, 2006; 8(1): 78 - 88. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. L. Sacco, B. A. Malow, and L. S. Williams The state of patient-oriented research in neurology Neurology, April 13, 2004; 62(7): 1051 - 1055. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. M. Clark, H. A. Chansky, S. K. Mirza, and T. D. Brown Toward Better Interaction Between Orthopaedists and Researchers * T.D. Brown replies J. Bone Joint Surg. Am., November 1, 2003; 85(11): 2249 - 2251. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 N. S. Sung, W. F. Crowley Jr, M. Genel, P. Salber, L. Sandy, L. M. Sherwood, S. B. Johnson, V. Catanese, H. Tilson, K. Getz, et al. Central Challenges Facing the National Clinical Research Enterprise JAMA, March 12, 2003; 289(10): 1278 - 1287. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 L. G. Kevin and A. J. Cunningham Interdisciplinary collaboration in anaesthesia research Br. J. Anaesth., October 1, 2002; 89(4): 658 - 659. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. J. Ryan, D. R. Hinton, T. E. Ogden, and N. Rao Translational Research in Ophthalmology Arch Ophthalmol, March 1, 2002; 120(3): 389 - 390. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
