Translational Medicine

Translational Medicine is the progression of research from scientific investigation to improved clinical practice.

Typically the Translational Medicine ( TM ) process begins in the laboratory, with the identification of a particular research finding (e.g. biomarker of disease, target for therapeutic intervention etc) which demonstrates the potential to be applied to a particular clinical situation. These initial research findings require significant development to translate them from the laboratory into a product which can be used in the clinic and have an impact on disease management. This is a lengthy process requiring further laboratory based research, human investigations and clinical trials and the involvement of a multitude of different partners, including funding bodies, the NHS and the commercial sector.

TM is a two way process, so that information obtained from human investigations is also used to refine our understanding of biological systems and principles, in a cycle of ever improving outputs and increasing patient benefit. As such TM is the defining activity of the pre-eminent Medical Schools across the UK and worldwide. However, real excellence in the field is only made possible by close collaboration with non-clinical research disciplines including Biological Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing and Computer Sciences, and through effective partnership with key external bodies including the NHS, Research Funders and Biotechnology or Pharmaceutical Industries.

The Birmingham Science City Translational Medicine programme has two core projects:

a. Clinical Research Infrastructure and Trials Platform (TM1) which aims to develop the clinical trials infrastructure to support the translation of scientific advances into improved patient care
b. Experimental Medicine Network of Excellence (TM2) project aims to catalyse, strengthen and expand the region’s capacity in Translational Medicine, providing a pipeline of new medical technologies, research jobs and new companies.

The development of the West Midlands as a leader in Translational Medicine ( TM ) will result in increased national and international investment in regional biomedical research programmes and increased engagement with the commercial sector, through the provision of training programmes, research and development services, new technologies and collaborative research opportunities. In the longer term, the development will create a regional resource that will attract significant grant funding and major contracts from academia and industry. The research themes detailed have the potential to deliver a variety of new approaches to managing human disease, including new diagnostic tests and therapies.

The broad spectrum of research led activities for successful TM includes Experimental Medicine approaches and application of state of the art “-omic” and other technologies to facilitate Predictive Healthcare and Biomarker/Drug/Target Discovery. These activities necessarily also require access to expert Tissue Banking/Biorepository facilities and Clinical Trials knowledge and expertise. UoB and UoW are among the leading UK institutions in TM activity and expertise. With international excellence in all areas required to excel in this field providing an excellent basis to develop this area for substantial Regional benefit.

The Clinical Research and Infrastructure Trials Platform (TM1) project aims to catalyse, strengthen and expand international quality clinical trials activity within the West Midlands. It aims to build medium- to long-term research and knowledge-transfer partnerships and lead to opportunities for inward investment and economic growth in the region.

The TM2 project will focus on the early stages of the TM process, so called Experimental Medicine, creating an Experimental Medicine Network of Excellence in the West Midlands. This largely technology-based proposal will facilitate inter-linked themes of internationally-competitive collaborative research at the Universities of Birmingham (UoB) and Warwick (UoW) that include critical collaboration with regional NHS Trust partners; particularly University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHBFT) and University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW), respectively.

The collaborative research programmes will address either common human diseases, such as Heart Disease, Infections and Obesity/Diabetes, or study the processes involved in human development, including the Nervous System and Reproduction, all of which are identified NHS and regional health priorities. The translation of the results from these research programmes into improved clinical practice will add synergy to a second application that focuses on the final pathways of TM, Clinical Trials.

To clarify the institutions will develop the five collaborative and synergistic research themes of:

1. Infection
2. Nervous System (Neuroscience)
3. Obesity/Diabetes (Metabolism)
4. Heart Disease (Cardiovascular Sciences)
5. Reproduction

These themes run through both Translational Medicine projects, although TM1 contains the additional theme of Clinical Trials.

Find out more about how Research Alliance funding is helping to combat obesity by watching the video, found here.