(NEW YORK, NY, July 18, 2011) – A Columbia University institute whose goal is to accelerate the pace of translating science into real-life treatments for patients received $38.9 million from the National Institutes of Health to expand its work over the next five years.
The Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (IICTR) is among 10 institutes nationwide to receive renewed funding, in recognition of their successes during the first five years of the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program, which is administered by the NIH's National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).
The other institutions are Mayo Clinic; Oregon Health & Science University; Rockefeller University; University of California, Davis; University of California, San Francisco; University of Pennsylvania; University of Pittsburgh; University of Rochester; and Yale University.
"These institutes were the pioneers in this program and are to be commended for the work they have done in bridging the traditional divides between laboratory research and medical practice," said NCRR Director Barbara Alving, MD. "They were tasked with transforming the way their institutions coordinate research to make it more proactive and effective in producing real-world results, and in the process, they have served as innovative models nationwide."
Together, the institutes represent a $498 million renewed commitment on NIH's part to speed translational research nationwide. NIH will release a progress report on the program in August, highlighting research that has emerged from Columbia University Medical Center and other institutes in the CTSA consortium.
The renewal awards validate the success of the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and its sister programs in creating a framework for scientists to collaborate on promising research and to focus training and resources on moving these projects ahead.
"The renewal of CUMC's CTSA," says Lee Goldman, MD, executive vice president of Columbia University and dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, "reflects our commitment to interdisciplinary research that translates our discoveries into improved patient care, both in our community and around the world. Congratulations to Dr. Henry Ginsberg and his talented and dedicated team."
The grants, which have now been awarded to 60 academic health centers, help scientists collaborate on research that applies to a broad range of diseases. CTSA-funded institutions also work with industry, manufacturers, patient groups, and nonprofit organizations to ensure that potentially life-saving new drugs and devices reach the public faster.
Working closely with the entire Columbia University faculty and NewYork Presbyterian-Hospital, the Irving Institute has already made great strides toward the day when interdisciplinary research programs will be the norm. The Institute's faculty includes some of CUMC's most accomplished senior researchers, who provide leadership and serve as mentors for junior faculty, fellows, and trainees. The renewed funding underscores the Institute's potential for even greater accomplishments over the next five years and beyond.
This year's CTSA five-year renewal funding:
- UCSF ($112.0 M)
- University of Pittsburgh ($67.3 M)
- Mayo Clinic ($62.8 M)
- University of Pennsylvania ($54.8 M)
- Yale University ($45.4 M)
- Oregon Health & Science University ($39.8 M)
- Columbia University Medical Center ($38.9 M)
- Rockefeller University ($36.1 M)
- University of Rochester ($20.7 M)
- UC Davis ($20.0 M)
To learn more about The Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, including its research services, funding resources, and key initiatives, visit http://irvinginstitute.columbia.edu/. Further information on the CTSA program can be found at www.ncrr.nih.gov/ctsa.
Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and State and one of the largest in the United States.