Major Focus Areas

Novel Translation Methodologies

Develop new approaches that address roadblocks to translational research. The concerns range from intellectual property protection issues to cell identification and imaging tools for medical outcome validation. Solicit proposals from within the University and from scientists and industry in Western New York. Provide support for especially promising proposals. Disseminate information on novel developments and resources throughout the University and Upstate network, using a standing website and an electronic newsletter that would highlight developments in research methodology in an easily accessible manner.

Pilot Studies

Fund pilot projects that generate data to support novel clinical trials, test ideas for clinical applications for basic research discoveries or stimulate cross-disciplinary collaborations. The pilot awards could include organizing a research conference, taking a "mini-sabbatical" visit to a laboratory or clinical site, training, or conducting targeted research.

Biomedical Informatics

Survey and analyze current biomedical informatics, clinical trials technology, and services that facilitate the storage, retrieval, sharing and use of data, knowledge, and other resources. Integrate existing resources and develop new functions so they will constitute a local and centralized information infrastructure for clinical and translational research. Develop standards and protocols to support data sharing within the institute and with the external collaborating organizations. Provide professional consulting regarding all aspects of technology for the conduct of clinical translational research. Create an education program to assist researchers. Develop novel methodologies to enable the conduct of clinical research and advanced data analysis.

Design, Biostatistics, and Ethics

Provide consulting services in biostatistics, epidemiology and ethics necessary to design and conduct clinical and translational studies. Assist with the interpretation of the results of analyses, production of final reports and graphical displays and preparation of presentations and manuscripts for publication. Develop research methods to handle unique problems in the areas of statistical analysis, bioinformatics and computational biology, bias and confounding, risk profile modeling, and ethical considerations in translational research. Create improved ways to design clinical trials and analyze results, and new biomathematical methods for the analysis of gene arrays and gene regulatory networks that impact on cancer, genetic conditions and other human diseases.

Regulatory Support

Ensure that researchers are trained in the science and ethics of research involving people as volunteer subjects. Organize a dedicated unit of specialists in translational research who will be assigned to support investigators in regulatory and safety issues in order to optimize study design, regulatory review, and the informed consent process.

Patient and Clinical Interactions

Designate a senior-level investigator to encourage collaboration between basic scientists and clinical researchers. Organize a clinical research coordinator's office. Expand the role of the Research Subject Advocate. Increase mentoring program to encourage the career development of translational investigators. Hire additional nurses to support studies. Promote research subject participation through the provision of new services, such as transportation and child care.

Community Engagement

Establish long-term partnerships with community organizations and engage community leaders assure community input into research priorities and strategies and to promote participation in clinical and translational research. Create office to coordinate practice-based research networks, which are groups of physicians and their staffs throughout the region. The practices will contribute to selection of research issues and take part in research, including studies of disease trends, health disparities and use of new therapies or technology in the community. Develop community-based recruitment and retention plans to increase individual participation in studies and trials. Design investigator training programs in community health engagement.

Translational Technology

Appoint a faculty-level director to seek out technological barriers to research and find ways to help investigators succeed in finding and accessing laboratory services and technology. Provide money to investigators to defray a share of laboratory service costs. Upgrade the labs, technology resources, and personnel that can enhance clinical and translational research.

Education and Career Development

Create novel training programs, including two new Master's degree programs, in clinical investigation and translational research, and a new Ph.D. program in translational biomedical sciences. Expand a mentor development program to enhance the quality and quantity of mentors in translational and clinical research. Develop skill-building workshops, seminars, mentored research experiences and other training programs in translational research for medical students, fellows, junior faculty and others.

Upstate Network

Organize a consortium of 10 biomedical research institutions in the Upstate New York region into a regional network for translational research. This organization will be administered through an independent foundation, the Foundation for Healthy Living, in order that all partners can take advantage of the network's shared resources. Develop inventories of translational research at member institutions, and of research resources that can be used for collaborative research. Assist members with regulatory compliance, including providing training in ethical issues and volunteer safety. Support pilot projects involving two or more network members. Utilize regional marketing and training to recruit people for research projects.

Evaluation

Incorporate tracking and evaluation into all institute activities. Develop model methods for project evaluations. Assess, on an annual basis, the achievement of institute goals through review and analysis of collected evaluation date.