Translational Research and Translational Institutes are quite nascent in Indian perspective that warranty huge investment in terms of acumen and money, if India wants to establish its niche status in this burgeoning area of scientific advance for having virtual home for the scientists to translate scientific research on purpose.
Despite explosive gains of knowledge in understanding human disease through basic sciences, meaningful translation of that knowledge to the treatment of patients and prevention of the diseases moves slowly in India, it is imperative that integrated academic home is created where in scientific advances are translated to real benefit of a common man.
Scientific discoveries must be translated into practical applications for having infinite benefits to mankind in general and human health in particular. Such discoveries typically begin at “the bench” with basic research: in which scientists study disease at a molecular or cellular level; then progress to the clinical level till it actually reaches the patient's “bedside” to ensure that the best health solutions get to patients as quickly as possible.
Translational research has proven to be a powerful process that drives the medical research engine as this bench-to-bedside approach to translational research is really linked, where in the scientists provide the clinicians with new tools for use in patients and for assessment of their impact, and clinical researchers make novel observations about the nature and progression of disease that often stimulate basic investigations.
A stronger research infrastructure could strengthen and accelerate this critical part of the clinical research enterprise as barriers between clinical and basic research, along with complexities involved in conducting clinical research, are making it more difficult to translate new knowledge to the clinic – and back again to the bench. These challenges are limiting professional interest in the field and hampering the clinical research enterprise at a time when it should be expanding.
To achieve that goal for the optimum use of bench to bedside research shunt, it is prudent and necessary to have a facility (institute) to nurture a cadre of well-trained multi- and inter-disciplinary investigators and research synergizing multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary clinical and translational research and researchers to catalyze the application of new knowledge and techniques to clinical practice at the front lines of patient care.
The four major goals of the institute should be
• To create a “comfort zone” for scientists and researchers, encouraging collaboration, fostering original ideas, and activating clinical investigation and translational research.
• To foster ideas, design, plan and conduct of a diverse spectrum of high quality clinical investigation and translational research.
• To enhance, support, and integrate training programs from diverse disciplines.
• To enhance career development of faculty and trainees by providing opportunities to catalyze original research, and changing the academic culture to appropriately reward original, multidisciplinary, collaborative work.
Towards achieving the above goal, a facility of excellence is mandatory that fulfills and conforms to the norms and standards of FDA and other relevant international & national regulatory bodies with technical, logistic and marketing personnel at a location where there is no constrains.