ABSTRACT
The first problem that one is faced with in addressing what might be considered a relatively new concept is that there is often a lack of clarity as to what it really is. Translational research, a term that has been popularized with the “Roadmap” initiative at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is new in the sense of being in the forefront of announcements and emphasis panels focused on the relationship between health care delivery and the discovery process behind the understanding of pathophysiology of disease. In order to benefit mankind, discoveries in the world of basic biological science need to be translated into practical applications. The term “translational research” conveys a certain immediacy to the process, suggesting that very recent findings from the laboratory are carried over to the clinical research endeavors with the anticipation that a measurable effect in patients can be determined, and the results tabulated and taken back to the laboratory for refinement, if necessary. It implies that the work is “cutting edge” and on the forefront of the discovery process. It is in recognition that findings in the basic sciences were often of pure academic pursuits and may take many years before they could be useful in the clinic. There is a political force behind helping mankind “now.”
