Translational research
Collins 'a Guy in a Hurry' for Translational Research
14/12/10 20:40 Filed in: GenomeWeb Daily Scan
Francis Collins, the director of the NIH, is eager to establish the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, despite the extra budgetary considerations, so that the agency can plug certain therapeutic development holes left open by pharma, such as for rare and neglected diseases. S. Pelech cautions that this proposal will most likely further exacerbate an already very difficult funding situation for basic researchers in the U.S. based on past experience of Canadian academic researchers with the creation of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. Read More...
Has Anyone Seen the Superglue?
12/09/11 16:39 Filed in: GenomeWeb Daily Scan
Blogger Morgan Giddings at the Naturally Selected blog is concerned that with the emphasis at many universities these days on fast "translation," it seems that the whole endeavor has lost sight of the fact that all innovation and science takes time. She noted that there are several problems that make universities poorly equipped to reach the goal of fast translation — problems like bureaucracy, science by committee, and the "mixed mission" of a university that requires it to play a large array of roles. S. Pelech acknowledges that government organizations and the general public expect academic university-based researchers to improve the translation of their research into economically useful outcomes, but the current grant-funding system does not really facilitate innovative research, and government laboratories and universities often actively discourage their faculty from starting or working with commercial enterprises. Read More...
A Bargain Made
24/02/12 00:15 Filed in: GenomeWeb Daily Scan
Blogger Ananyo Bhattacharya at The Guardian 's Notes & Theories blog wrote that conventional thinking in science policy, which promotes a utilitarian view that research should be at the heart of sustainable economic growth and should serve the public interest, can result a dramatic undervaluation of basic research. S. Pelech comments that especially in the last 50 years, governments throughout the developed world have steadily built up their basic research capacities in the life sciences in universities, hospitals and government laboratories, but the translational gap between basic and applied research appears to have continued to widen. He explores the various reasons for this disconnect. Read More...