Launched in summer 2023, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) translational science funding program aims to streamline the process of translating scientific discoveries from ideas to impact. Projects selected for funding aim to improve human health by finding better, faster ways to bring scientific advances to real-world use.
The CTSI Office of Discovery and Translation (ODAT) has utilized the knowledge, program infrastructure, and successful methods developed through its translational research pilot program to implement the translational science program.
The first round of translational science pilot project funding was awarded in January 2024. As with the first round, applications for the second round of funding were evaluated by a review panel of senior CTSI staff and affiliated faculty.
“We are impressed with the quality and diversity of applications we have received through our translational science funding program in the first two funding cycles,” said Sandra Wells, PhD, ODAT director. “Translational science is an important and growing area of interest in academia and among UMN faculty. We are happy to be able to support four new projects that aim to improve the process of translating ideas into health.”
Following an iterative review process, four projects were selected to receive $50,000 in funding for a 12-month period:
- Shen Cheng, PhD - Department of Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy
Evaluate and develop methodologies to incorporate high-dimensional covariates in pharmacometric analysis - Geetha Saarunya Clarke, PhD - Department of Surgery, Medical School
Advancing Rural Trauma Care in Minnesota: Assessing Patient Outcomes and Spatiotemporal Inequalities - Jessica Haupt - Medical Industry Leadership Institute, Carlson School of Management
Uncovering Barriers to Translation: Findings from the Medical Valuation Laboratory - Saydra Wilson, MD - Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical School
Responding and Adapting to Barriers Before Integrative Translation (RABBIT)
Project summaries are below. The next RFA for the translational science funding opportunity is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025. For more information, visit the Translational Science funding program page.
Shen Cheng, PhD - Department of Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy
Evaluate and develop methodologies to incorporate high-dimensional covariates in pharmacometric analysis
One barrier to the process of drug development is the ability to predict the impact of drug exposure and responses in individuals and patient populations. This project aims to develop methods to incorporate large and complex data (high-dimensional covariates) into pharmacometric models to more accurately predict drug dosing and responses. These models will be broadly applicable across diseases, patient populations and therapeutic modalities and have the potential to improve precision medicine.
Geetha Saarunya Clarke, PhD - Department of Surgery, Medical School
Advancing Rural Trauma Care in Minnesota: Assessing Patient Outcomes and Spatiotemporal Inequalities
Healthcare delivery is fragmented in rural areas leading to poor patient outcomes. This project aims to improve rural trauma care delivery and outcomes through developing an integrative database and analytical models to identify healthcare disparities and hotspots in Minnesota. This approach could be applied more broadly to healthcare access in rural settings across the United States and pave the way for the development of effective coordinated care models.
Jessica Haupt - Medical Industry Leadership Institute, Carlson School of Management
Uncovering Barriers to Translation: Findings from the Medical Valuation Laboratory
Inventors face several barriers as they translate their ideas into viable products available to patients. Through studying data from hundreds of projects that have gone through Medical Industry Leadership Institute’s Valuation Laboratory, this project aims to identify and address common challenges encountered by inventors and to establish generalizable principles for accelerating translational science. The key learnings and actionable insights can be applied more broadly to improve the journey from laboratory innovation to transformative patient care.
Saydra Wilson, MD - Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical School
Responding and Adapting to Barriers Before Integrative Translation (RABBIT)
Access and acceptability are critical barriers that prevent adoption of new therapeutic approaches. This project will employ methods to study and address these barriers early in preclinical development to facilitate translation to clinical applications. These methods can be applied generally to various indications, therapeutic modalities, and populations and pave the way for more accessible and acceptable treatment modalities in the future.
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