Translational research

Translational research (also called translation research, translational science, or, when the context is clear, simply translation)<ref>"Translation Research | NIOSH | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2021-11-05.</ref><ref>"What is Translational Research? | UAMS Translational Research Institute". tri.uams.edu. Retrieved 2021-11-05.</ref> is research aimed at translating (converting) results in basic research into results that directly benefit humans. The term is used in science and technology, especially in biology and medical science. As such, translational research forms a subset of applied research.

The term has been used most commonly in life sciences and biotechnology, but applies across the spectrum of science and humanities. In the context of biomedicine, translational research is also known as bench to bedside.<ref>Chawla, Bhavna (2018-08-03). "Bench to Bedside: Translational Research Demystified". The Official Scientific Journal of Delhi Ophthalmological Society. 29 (1): 4–5. doi:10.7869/djo.367. S2CID 81524567.</ref> In the field of education, it is defined as research which translates concepts to classroom practice.

Critics of translational medical research (to the exclusion of more basic research) point to examples of important drugs that arose from fortuitous discoveries in the course of basic research such as penicillin and benzodiazepines. Other problems have stemmed from the widespread irreproducibility thought to exist in translational research literature.

Although translational research is relatively new, there are now several major research centers focused on it. In the U.S., the National Institutes of Health has implemented a major national initiative to leverage existing academic health center infrastructure through the Clinical and Translational Science Awards. Furthermore, some universities acknowledge translational research as its own field to study for a PhD or graduate certificate in.

Definitions

Translational research is aimed at solving particular problems; the term has been used most commonly in life sciences and biotechnology, but applies across the spectrum of science and humanities.

In the field of education, it is defined for school-based education by the Education Futures Collaboration (www.meshguides.org) as research which translates concepts to classroom practice.<ref>Burden K, Younie S, Leask M (October 2013). "Translational research principles applied to education: the mapping educational specialist knowhow (MESH) initiative" (PDF). Journal of Education for Teaching. 39 (4): 459–463. doi:10.1080/02607476.2013.801216. S2CID 145145150.</ref> Examples of translational research are commonly found in education subject association journals and in the MESHGuides which have been designed for this purpose.<ref>Younie S (2016). "Mapping Educational Specialist knowHow (MESH)". International Teacher Education Knowledge Mobilisation Summit: a framework for UNESCO SDG4 2030. London: Whitehall.</ref>

In bioscience, translational research is a term often used interchangeably with translational medicine or translational science or bench to bedside. The adjective "translational" refers to the "translation" (the term derives from the Latin for "carrying over") of basic scientific findings in a laboratory setting into potential treatments for disease.<ref name="Woolf_2008">Woolf SH (January 2008). "The meaning of translational research and why it matters". JAMA. 299 (2): 211–3. doi:10.1001/jama.2007.26. PMID 18182604.</ref><ref>Reis SE, Berglund L, Bernard GR, Califf RM, Fitzgerald GA, Johnson PC (March 2010). "Reengineering the national clinical and translational research enterprise: the strategic plan of the National Clinical and Translational Science Awards Consortium". Academic Medicine. 85 (3): 463–9. doi:10.1097/acm.0b013e3181ccc877. PMC 2829722. PMID 20182119.</ref><ref>Science Careers Staff (2011). "Careers in Clinical and Translational Research". Science. Retrieved March 24, 2018.</ref><ref>Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2017). "Translating Research Into Practice". www.ahrq.gov. Retrieved March 25, 2018.</ref>

Biomedical translational research adopts a scientific investigation/enquiry into a given problem facing medical/health practices:<ref>Akarowhe K (2018) Translational Research: Definitions and Relevance. J Biol Med Res Vol.2 No.2:13</ref> it aims to "translate" findings in fundamental research into practice. In the field of biomedicine, it is often called "translational medicine", defined by the European Society for Translational Medicine (EUSTM) as "an interdisciplinary branch of the biomedical field supported by three main pillars: benchside, bedside and community",<ref name="Cohrs 86–88">Cohrs RJ, Martin T, Ghahramani P, Bidaut L, Higgins PJ, Shahzad A (2014). "Translational Medicine definition by the European Society for Translational Medicine". New Horizons in Translational Medicine. 2 (3): 86–88. doi:10.1016/j.nhtm.2014.12.002.</ref> from laboratory experiments through clinical trials, to therapies,<ref>Mahla RS (2016). "Stem Cells Applications in Regenerative Medicine and Disease Therapeutics". International Journal of Cell Biology. 2016 (7): 19. doi:10.1155/2016/6940283. PMC 4969512. PMID 27516776.</ref> to point-of-care patient applications.<ref>Woolf, Steven H. (9 January 2008). "What is Translational Science". JAMA. Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute. 299 (2): 211–213. doi:10.1001/jama.2007.26. PMID 18182604. Retrieved 9 June 2015.</ref> The end point of translational research in medicine is the production of a promising new treatment that can be used clinically.<ref name="Woolf_2008" /> Translational research is conceived due to the elongated time often taken to bring to bear discovered medical idea in practical terms in a health system.^{[citation needed]} It is for these reasons that translational research is more effective in dedicated university science departments or isolated, dedicated research centers.<ref name="pmid11689456">Pober JS, Neuhauser CS, Pober JM (November 2001). "Obstacles facing translational research in academic medical centers". FASEB Journal. 15 (13): 2303–13. doi:10.1096/fj.01-0540lsf. PMID 11689456. S2CID 32503545.</ref> Since 2009, the field has had specialized journals, the American Journal of Translational Research and Translational Research dedicated to translational research and its findings.

Translational research in biomedicine is broken down into different stages. In a two-stage model, T1 research, refers to the "bench-to-bedside" enterprise of translating knowledge from the basic sciences into the development of new treatments and T2 research refers to translating the findings from clinical trials into everyday practice, although this model is actually referring to the 2 "roadblocks" T1 and T2.<ref name="Woolf_2008" /> Waldman et al.<ref>Waldman, Scott A.; Terzic, Andre (2010-10-01). "Clinical and Translational Science: From Bench-Bedside to Global Village". Clinical and Translational Science. 3 (5): 254–257. doi:10.1111/j.1752-8062.2010.00227.x. ISSN 1752-8062. PMC 5439613. PMID 20973923.</ref> propose a scheme going from T0 to T5. T0 is laboratory (before human) research. In T1-translation, new laboratory discoveries are first translated to human application, which includes phase I & II clinical trials. In T2-translation, candidate health applications progress through clinical development to engender the evidence base for integration into clinical practice guidelines. This includes phase III clinical trials. In T3-translation, dissemination into community practices happens. T4-translation seeks to (1) advance scientific knowledge to paradigms of disease prevention, and (2) move health practices established in T3 into population health impact. Finally, T5-translation focuses on improving the wellness of populations by reforming suboptimal social structures

Comparison to basic research or applied research

Basic research is the systematic study directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and is performed without thought of practical ends. It results in general knowledge and understanding of nature and its laws.<ref>"What is basic research?" (PDF). National Science Foundation. Retrieved 2014-05-31.</ref> For instance, basic biomedical research focuses on studies of disease processes using, for example, cell cultures or animal models without consideration of the potential utility of that information.<ref name="Cohrs 86–88" />

Applied research is a form of systematic inquiry involving the practical application of science. It accesses and uses the research communities' accumulated theories, knowledge, methods, and techniques, for a specific, often state, business, or client-driven purpose.<ref>Roll-Hansen N (April 2009). Why the distinction between basic (theoretical) and applied (practical) research is important in the politics of science (PDF) (Report). The London School of Economics and Political Science. Retrieved November 30, 2013.</ref> Translational research forms a subset of applied research. In life-sciences, this was evidenced by a citation pattern between the applied and basic sides in cancer research that appeared around 2000.<ref>Cambrosio A, Keating P, Mercier S, Lewison G, Mogoutov A (December 2006). "Mapping the emergence and development of translational cancer research". European Journal of Cancer. 42 (18): 3140–8. doi:10.1016/j.ejca.2006.07.020. PMID 17079135.</ref>

Challenges and criticisms

Critics of translational medical research (to the exclusion of more basic research) point to examples of important drugs that arose from fortuitous discoveries in the course of basic research such as penicillin and benzodiazepines,<ref>Tone, Andrea (2009). The Age of Anxiety: the History of America's Love Affairs with Tranquilizers.</ref> and the importance of basic research in improving our understanding of basic biological facts (e.g. the function and structure of DNA) that go on to transform applied medical research.<ref>Ashutosh Jogalekar (November 26, 2012). "The perils of translational research". Scientific American Blog Network.</ref> Examples of failed translational research in the pharmaceutical industry include the failure of anti-aβ therapeutics in Alzheimer's disease.<ref>Golde TE, Schneider LS, Koo EH (January 2011). "Anti-aβ therapeutics in Alzheimer's disease: the need for a paradigm shift". Neuron. 69 (2): 203–13. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2011.01.002. PMC 3058906. PMID 21262461.</ref> Other problems have stemmed from the widespread irreproducibility thought to exist in translational research literature.<ref>Prinz F, Schlange T, Asadullah K (August 2011). "Believe it or not: how much can we rely on published data on potential drug targets?". Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery. 10 (9): 712. doi:10.1038/nrd3439-c1. PMID 21892149.</ref>