What is the difference between translational and clinical research

Through clinical research, scientists and physicians can deduce new methods of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of illness. Translational research acts as a bridge between different areas of research, connecting their findings to each other, and ultimately, to the community at large. While extensive resources have been dedicated to both basic laboratory research and clinical research, barriers have existed between the two—e.

Clinical research and translational research have a lot in common. In fact, many university programs offer combined degrees and certificates in the two areas of study. However, the nuances of each type of research require specific skill sets and differing perspectives. Read on to learn about the convergences and divergences of clinical and translational research.

Clinical research is the study of human subjects and involves testing new methods of diagnosis, prevention and the treatment of illness. Translational research acts as a bridge between science and practice. It links laboratory science with patients and findings with the needs of the community.

Clinical research is most often performed at academic medical centers and their affiliated research sites. Weeding out failures earlier in the process can significantly decrease the overall cost of developing new products. Clinical research is medical research that involves people like you. Translational research is research that applies discoveries generated in the laboratory to studies in humans bench to bedside , or that speeds the adoption of best practices into community settings bedside to practice.

Breadcrumb Home Initiatives Translational Research. People also ask Are clinical trials translational research? What is the difference between applied and translational research? Translational research is for curious individuals who are equally eager to apply knowledge in the design of a new therapy. These individuals often are pragmatic, less concerned with theory and more with result. Oftentimes, translational research will overlap with fields of engineering and pharmacology.

Doing translational research can provide promise of something that can potentially be game-changing in medicine and is highly appealing for that reason. Many people also are enticed by going through the extensive process that requires screening, validation and ultimate application of therapies to humans.

In many ways, translational research is all about this process. However, be warned: very, very few therapies actually make it to humans! Clinical research is the last step, and everyone has heard of this one. Usually clinical research is answering some question about human populations—and the key word here is human.

In the context of basic to translational to clinical, clinical research is the last step in which you validate a new drug or therapy in real patients, looking at efficacy and safety, often compared to other gold-standards for treatment.

Clinical research can also include efforts at improving outpatient waiting times, decreasing emergency room waiting times, or decreasing patient hospital readmissions. Clinical research is rewarding because it is most directly related to the lives and health of human beings, and among the types of research it is the most seemingly relevant.

Almost all physicians have done clinical research at some point in their lives, and most physicians at academic centers are doing clinical research. If taking care of patients is your calling, your pride and joy, then clinical research will only make that endeavor more fruitful. Clinical research usually involves patient interactions, lots of paperwork, and heavy doses of statistics and epidemiology.