University Of Cincinnati Receives $22.7 Million To Launch New Center

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Public Health;  Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 11 Apr 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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The National Institutes of Health has announced that the University of Cincinnati will become the 39th member of its Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium. Led by the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), part of the NIH, this national network of medical research institutions is working together to accelerate the process of turning laboratory discoveries into treatments for patients, to engage communities in clinical research efforts and to train the next generation of clinical and translational researchers.

The consortium was launched in 2006, with new members added in 2007 and 2008. Approximately 60 CTSAs will be connected when the program is fully implemented in 2012. NCRR will award additional CTSA grants this year; more awards are expected in the next several months.

In this latest award, the University of Cincinnati will receive $22.7 million over five years. The new Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training will expand its support for pediatric research through the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; enhance new translational technologies, including large-scale studies of proteins (proteomics), drug discovery, imaging, nanomedicine, gene transfer and stem cell biology. The center also will increase outreach into the local community, including collaborations with the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

"Among the many strengths of this newest CTSA consortium member is the depth of pediatric research conducted at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital - one of the top pediatric research hospitals in the nation," said NCRR Director Barbara Alving, M.D. "As part of this national clinical and translational research network, the University of Cincinnati will focus on both pediatric and adult diseases and will increase the breadth of consortium activity throughout the Midwest, bringing research advances into the communities it serves."

Since its launch in 2006, the consortium has been:

• training researchers in the complexities of clinical and translational research through nationally recognized degree-granting programs;
  
  
• leveraging CTSA resources to expand research and training opportunities in underserved states and communities; assembling interdisciplinary teams that include but are not limited to basic scientists, biologists, clinical researchers, dentists, veterinarians, nurses, pharmacists, biomedical engineers and geneticists;
  
  
• partnering with researchers at minority institutions to enhance outreach to underserved populations, local community and advocacy organizations, and health care providers;
  
  
• creating best practices to improve clinical research informatics tools to analyze research data and manage clinical trials; designating technologies for marketing and licensing purposes that will increase global access to research tools; and
  
  
• forging new partnerships with private and public health care organizations, including pharmaceutical companies, Departments of Veterans Affairs hospitals, and health maintenance organizations, as well as state health agencies.

A fifth funding opportunity announcement for CTSAs is available, calling for the next round of applications to be submitted by Oct. 14, 2009, with the awards expected in July 2010.

Notes:

The National Center for Research Resources, part of NIH, provides laboratory scientists and clinical researchers with the resources and training they need to understand, detect, treat and prevent a wide range of diseases. NCRR supports all aspects of translational and clinical research, connecting researchers, patients and communities across the nation.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical Research Agency - includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

Source:
NCRR Office of Communications
NIH/National Center for Research Resources

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