This issue of the ISTC Catalyst highlights the unmatched concentration of translational research centers in Illinois and the impact of translational research being conducted in our state. Translational research closes the gap between basic and clinical research by providing a more immediate avenue for research outcomes to be developed into viable treatments.
Illinois has fast become a hub for translational research, as evidenced by our hub of designated centers. Supported by the National Institutes of Health, three centers devoted to translational research have been established in the Illinois as the result of its Clinical and Translational Science Awards: the Center for Clinical and Translational Trials at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Chicago Institute for Translational Medicine, and the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute. This concentrated research cluster offers great promise and is a strength that was highlighted at the recent 2010 BIO International Convention held in Chicago in May.
Illinois-based researchers and businesses are serious about moving research from “bench to bedside.” Our state currently ranks 8th in the nation for the number of clinical trials taking place within its borders. One major Illinois industry leader, Abbott Laboratories, invested $2.7 billion in pharmaceutical R&D in 2009 alone.
The devotion to translational research in Illinois continues to grow. The Mayo Clinic recently announced partnership with the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana to collaborate on a spectrum of research and development of new technologies and clinical tools. In May 2010, the Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine published an article by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago that outlined the novel use of particular stem cells, which were shown to reverse Type 1 diabetes in mice. Many more instances of innovation are highlighted in this issue of ISTC Catalyst, and we encourage you to explore these links to learn more about the depth and impact of translational research being performed in Illinois.
Watch and Listen:
Translational Research at the University of Chicago Medical Center
Learn:
Catalyst Exclusive Guest Commentaries
Recap: 2010 BIO Translational Research Forum Keynote Speaker, U.S. Representative Dan Lipinski (IL-3)
It was a great pleasure to attend the BIO Translational Research Forum, which brings thousands of people together from every branch of the R&D enterprise, helping them to form partnerships, share new ideas and discoveries, and find ways to grow their businesses. As Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee’s Research and Science Education Subcommittee, I have worked to advance the SBIR/STTR Reauthorization Act and to ensure that the America COMPETES Act, which I recently helped guide to passage in the House, includes substantial support for translational biomedical research.
UIC Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS)
As noted by Dr. Elias Zerhouni, former director of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program was created to provide “integrated intellectual and physical resources for the conduct of original clinical and translational science, and a research environment that is more nimble, conducive to, and responsive to the demands of modern translational and clinical research.”
Northwestern University Promotes Translational Innovation
Northwestern University’s home for coordinating and promoting innovation in translational research is the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, or NUCATS for short. NUCATS is a member of the prestigious NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) network, a 46 member group of medical institutions focused on reducing the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients, engaging communities in clinical research and training a new generation of clinical researchers.
Learn more about Illinois’ accomplishments in Translational Research.
2010 BIO: Celebrating regional innovation and biotech’s future
Technology Changing Routes for Translational Research
NIH awards $23 million to University of Chicago Medical Center for translational research program
New $11 million center to speed production of new compounds for drug discovery
Mayo Clinic and University of Illinois Create Research Alliance
Chicago technology park grows despite economy
UIC Receives $10M Federal Grant to Transform Dental Research Clinics
Novel Biomaterials For Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes
Translational Research Being Conducted at IIT in the MOGUL Lab
U of I, Carle announce strategic research alliance
Center for Clinical and Translational Trials at UIC
The University of Chicago Institute for Translational Medicine
Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
More News:
2010 Sustainable University Symposium
Friday, August 27, 2010
I-Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 South First Street, Champaign, IL
Join this year’s Green Governments Coordinating Council Symposium, hosted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in learning how to make your university or college campus more sustainable. This symposium is an opportunity for college and university administrators, engineers, architects, professors, and student leaders to exchange ideas in the effort to enhance sustainability at Illinois institutions of higher learning and identify new programs to apply at your university. The annual event also seeks to empower young adults to pursue careers in the environmental sciences and make an investment in the sustainability of our state and our planet.
Speakers, workshops, and panel discussions will cover topics such as sustainable renovation and construction, energy efficiency and conservation, environmental education and service learning, water conservation, and waste reduction.