The University of Washington Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) has recently received its second five-year, $65 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The funding helps ITHS accelerate the translation of research discoveries into practical applications and devices to improve public health. Helping researchers move discoveries and inventions out of the laboratory can take a variety of forms, such as helping scientists engage technical help, run pilot projects and secure the money and expertise to get through clinical trials.
With such assistance, researchers have the chance to accelerate their contributions to public health. “I can’t tell you how many ideas that are absolutely fantastic just drop because the inventor had no idea how to take it forward,” said Nora Disis, UW Associate Dean for Translational Science, who heads the ITHS (Seattle Times).
Translational researchers from any domain can apply for small grants from ITHS to collect pilot study data, receive training, or engage expert services in biostatistics, biomedical informatics, and preclinical research consulting. The institute facilitates collaborations between academia, industry, non-profits, government, and clinical practices in the community. ITHS hosts a series of webcast Lifelong Learning Seminars, many available on-demand.
In the past five years, more than 5,000 people have obtained ITHS services, participated in its programs and received thousands of hours of expert consulting and support.
“At the end of the day, people want to see their dollars translated into something that will directly benefit them, their children and their families. ITHS will galvanize a brilliant group of people to create the resources to work on important health issues and figure out a way to do our research faster, cheaper and easier,” said Disis.
The ITHS works with a number of partners including: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Idaho State University, Northwest Association for Biomedical Research, Boise State University, Washington State University, University of Alaska Anchorage, University of Wyoming, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Research Match.
