Translational research is a way of thinking about and conducting scientific research to make the results of research applicable to medicine. This form of investigation is used to translate the findings in basic research more quickly and efficiently into medical practice and, thus, meaningful health outcomes, whether those are physical, mental or social outcomes. In medicine in particular, governmental funders of research and pharmaceutical companies have spent vast amounts internationally on basic research and have seen that the return on investment is significantly less than anticipated. Translational research has come to be seen as the key, missing component. Translational research is another term for increase the collaboration between the bench researcher and the clinician.
With its focus on removing barriers to multi-disciplinary collaboration, translational research has the potential to drive the advancement of applied science. An attempt to bridge these barriers has been undertaken particularly in the medical domain where the term translational medicine has been applied to a research approach that seeks to move from bench to bedside or from laboratory experiments through clinical trials to actual point-of-care patient applications.
The Myeloma Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Collegey has become one of the nations largest centers dedicated to the treatment of myeloma. We have launched a major endeavor obtain clinical material and primary myeloma patient samples to our translational research program which is funded in part by grants from NCI, MMRF and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. International renown scientist are commited to understand the intimate mechanism of myeloma genesis and formulate hypotheses to bring control and cure to this disease.