Improving the efficacy of translational medicine by optimally integrating health care, academia and industry

Abstract

Translational medicine has become a global priority, but there is still a major gap between the arrival of new treatments and the investment that many countries have made on this front. Here we discuss often unrecognized roadblocks in the translational process and offer potential solutions for further advancement through enhanced integration of health care, academia and industry. Although understanding of biological mechanisms is on the rise, the process of translating fundamental knowledge to the clinic remains disappointing. Essential issues that have been widely recognized to account for the transitional gap include the need for increased investment in early-stage research and, in preclinical and early clinical work, the need for the capacity to stretch out beyond the boundaries of individual disciplines, for a more transparent dialogue between companies and regulators, for an approval process that does not always sacrifice efficacy in the name of safety and for other considerations that ultimately prevent new drugs from making it to the market1–8. However, there are additional problems that have not received sufficient attention and need to be addressed to improve success in translational medicine.