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CBL2 Translational Research Presentation

A guide for Case-Based Learning-2 (CBL-2) on Translational Research

Translational Research Defined

The endeavour to traverse a specific step of the translation process of turning an observation in the laboratory, clinic, or community into an intervention that will improve the health of individuals and the public.

Austin, C. P. (2018). Translating translation. Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery, 17(7), 455–456. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd.2018.27

What exactly is translational research? For many, the term refers to the “bench-to-bedside” enterprise of harnessing knowledge from basic sciences to produce new drugs, devices, and treatment options for patients. For this area of research—the interface between basic science and clinical medicine—the end point is the production of a promising new treatment that can be used clinically or commercialized (“brought to market”). This enterprise is vital, and has been characterized as follows: “effective translation of the new knowledge, mechanisms, and techniques generated by advances in basic science research into new approaches for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease is essential for improving health.”

For others—especially health services researchers and public health investigators whose studies focus on health care and health as the primary outcome—translational research refers to translating research into practice; ie, ensuring that new treatments and research knowledge actually reach the patients or populations for whom they are intended and are implemented correctly. The production of a new drug, an end point for “bench-to-bedside” translational research, is only the starting point for this second area of research. According to McGlynn et al, US patients receive only half of recommended services. The second area of translational research seeks to close that gap and improve quality by improving access, reorganizing and coordinating systems of care, helping clinicians and patients to change behaviors and make more informed choices, providing reminders and point-of-care decision support tools, and strengthening the patient-clinician relationship.

Woolf, S. H. (2008). The Meaning of Translational Research and Why It Matters. JAMA : The Journal of the American Medical Association, 299(2), 211–213. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2007.26

Video - "Understanding the Spectrum of Translational Research"

Locating Translational Research Journal Articles in Databases

In PubMed

  • Perform a keyword search for ("translational research") AND (your topic). Consider adding in variation on other keywords or phrases for the type translational research.

  • If you are getting too many results or want more focused results, consider using the MeSH heading, "Translational Research, Biomedical" to your search to limit to Translational Research articles.
  • Add in additional search concepts ("Translational Research, Biomedical"[Mesh] AND "SARS-CoV-2"[MeSH])

 

In Embase

 

In Web of Science

 

Examples of Translational Research

  1. "An Emergency Department clinician partners with a comprehensive social support agency and academic sociologist to study the agency's innovative recuperation program for mental health patients, identify opportunities to further reduce emergency department visits, and expand the partnership between the large urban hospital and social support agency."
  2. "A team of university researchers want to explore genetic markers of hypertension. They connect with a team of researchers and a clinical nephrologist who have been analyzing healthcare databases to study the progression of kidney disease. The new team agrees that a similar methodology could be used to create subgroups and prognostic risk scores for hypertensive patients. Finally, the team works with investigators who are developing an emerging biobank resource, giving them the opportunity to collect samples from patients whose records are kept in the same electronic medical record system. With these samples, the team can analyze the DNA and work towards a better understanding of the genetic markers."
  3. "A chronic pain researcher gathers de-identified data about opioid prescription patterns from a managed care organization and finds that there are many patients who have concurrent prescriptions for opioids and sedatives. She collaborates with a substance abuse expert and health services quality researcher to improve clinical decision support regarding prescriptions."
  4. "Dental researchers collaborate with chemists to increase the surface area of silicate based bioactive glasses that can be used to help bones regenerate or to protect teeth from calcifying."
  5. "Biomedical engineers use immortal cell lines and 3D imaging to analyze serotonin receptors in cells, and their findings inform drug development of Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)."