In an effort to keep up with a current push in biomedical research, UNMC is moving ahead with the creation of the UNMC Center for Clinical and Translational Research.
The center will help UNMC to streamline and improve its efforts in the area of clinical and translational research, said Jennifer Larsen, M.D., the new center’s director.
Clinical and translational research is the act of making basic science advances apply in clinical and community settings.
"Clinical and translational research is the direction biomedical research is heading," Dr. Larsen said. "The push is on for scientists to make their research apply to clinical and community settings and it’s vital that UNMC fall in with this trend. This center will help us do that."
Becoming a real player in the world of clinical and translational research is an important step in UNMC’s march toward world-class status, said Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D.
"It’s important that we as a campus put an intense effort toward improving our clinical and translational research, which is the direction biomedical research is headed," Dr. Maurer said.
The center, which was approved by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in November, will allow UNMC to:
- Evaluate the clinical and translational research resources it has and how or if they need to be improved;
- Consolidate those resources and establish a clear path of access so they are more transparent to investigators across the campus;
- Improve communication with and between scientists about clinical and translational resources, research opportunities and potential collaborators who can enhance the development of new interdisciplinary teams; and
- Develop new educational programs for students, staff and faculty to enhance their clinical and translational research capabilities.
The center also strengthens UNMC’s case as it prepares to apply for a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Institutes of Health.
CTSAs — which only will be awarded to 60 medical centers nationwide — are meant to create a network of institutions focused on clinical and translational research. Currently 24 institutions have CTSAs.
To be eligible for a CTSA, institutions must have a centralized structure and governance for support of clinical and translational research, which NIH officials feel will make the translation of research from bench to bedside to community more efficient.
"The UNMC strategy for growing the research enterprise requires more emphasis upon clinical and translational research," said Tom Rosenquist, Ph.D., vice chancellor for research. "The majority of the growth during the recent phase, when we tripled our funding base, occurred in various areas of basic sciences. Now, we need to expand the scope and volume of work among clinicians, in clinical departments and specialty areas.
"Not only is this the least well-developed area of funding at UNMC, it is the least well-developed area of research among academic medical centers nationally. NIH has recognized this problem and has moved ahead with special initiatives that we can take advantage of, especially with the excellent leadership of Dr. Jennifer Larsen as she pilots the UNMC Center for Clinical and Translational Research, and Dr. Jim Linder, as he moves the translational research program forward in his role as president of UNeMED."
Acquiring a CTSA is a highly-competitive process and institutions looking to gain such an award must fulfill several requirements.
Aside from establishing a clinical and translational research center, UNMC also is working to forge partnerships with other institutions in the region and is identifying research areas that can be emphasized in order to conduct the high-impact, far-reaching research that is favored in the competition for CTSAs.
UNMC plans to apply for a CTSA in 2008, Dr. Larsen said.
"This center is important on many levels," Dr. Larsen said. "Obviously it helps us become more competitive for a CTSA. But more importantly, it will improve our capacity for clinical and translational research, which can increase our competitiveness for other types of grants and will lead in the long term to improved care and outcomes for Nebraska and beyond."
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.