Translational medicine is a relatively new, actively developing interdisciplinary area, designed to bring together fundamental developments in the field of biotechnology and practical medicine. One of its priority tasks is the development and implementation of highly effective medical and diagnostic technologies.
What is translational medicine?
Most of the significant discoveries in the science of recent decades are related to molecular and cellular biology and its use for medical purposes. Proof of this are the topics of the Nobel Prizes in the field of natural sciences. We can say that now there is a revolution in understanding the structure and functioning of living systems. A huge amount of information has been accumulated in molecular genetics, analysis of proteins and low molecular weight metabolic profiles of cells.
These basic studies make it possible to determine the cause of diseases at the “thin” molecular and cellular level. However, a significant drawback of modern medicine is that there is a big gap between understanding the causes of pathologies and the way they are treated. The introduction of advanced methods in clinical practice occurs with a delay of several years. In many cases, new scientific discoveries remain completely unclaimed in healthcare.
This is due not only to the need for lengthy clinical trials of new drugs to obtain permission for their use, but also to the significant difference between the professional competencies of an experimental scientist and a clinician. Time costs do not allow the first to engage in implementation, and the second to master a new volume of knowledge. Translational medicine is designed to eliminate this discrepancy by transferring (“translating”) fundamental achievements into practical technologies and methods.
Appearance story
The concept of “translational research” appeared in 1986. It was used in relation to those developments that helped the practical use of new scientific achievements (disease prevention, diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation technologies).
This branch of human activity is very young. Back in 1993, only 5 works on this topic were published in the scientific search platform WoS. In 2011, there were already about one and a half thousand.
Since 2000, state institutes of translational medicine began to appear in different countries (including Russia). New specialized journals are issued for the exchange of ideas between researchers in the fundamental field of medicine and medical practitioners, and appropriate courses have been introduced for students in higher medical educational institutions.
Targets and goals
The main goal of translational medicine is the application of scientific discoveries in clinical trials or studies. The result of such activities should be an increase in the effectiveness of the treatment of pathologies.
Narrower tasks include:
- clinical trial of new drugs;
- coordination of research institutions;
- scaling up basic research;
- attracting financial support from the state and other investors;
- the search for ways to increase the effectiveness of drugs already used in practice;
- revision of legal and ethical standards in medicine;
- promotion of new technologies in the pharmaceutical market.
Pharmaceuticals
Pharmacy and translational medicine are closely related. All drugs undergo mandatory testing in preclinical (animal experiments) and clinical conditions. This stage is very long. The faster and more efficiently these developments are carried out, the faster patients will be able to gain access to modern treatment technologies.
However, this problem requires a special approach. In the history of medicine there are many cases when the hasty introduction of drugs led to disastrous consequences. For example, taking the sedative drug "Thalidomide" in pregnant women in a number of countries around the world has caused the appearance of 8-12 thousand children with congenital malformations.
Phases
In accordance with the main objectives of translational medicine, 3 phases of translational studies can be distinguished:
- Clinical trials of invasive and non-invasive methods of diagnosis and treatment involving people, the translation of fundamental developments into practice under controlled conditions. Performance and safety analysis. Search for molecular markers.
- The use of best practices in real social conditions in order to assess the possibility of its widespread use.
- Introducing new technology into the healthcare system. Recognition of the results by the public.
Biological markers
One of the key points in the development of new highly effective drugs is the search for specific biomarkers that help to choose the most suitable method of therapy for a particular patient. Under the biomarker system is understood a set of indicators that characterize the interaction of the human body with chemical, biological, physical and other factors.
Simply put, they help evaluate the mechanism of action of a substance. This is done by monitoring: observing and recording the effects that occur after the introduction of the drug into the human body. This technology allows you to identify people with an increased risk of disease and reduce the gap between the theoretical and practical sections of medical science.
Institutes and centers
The first translational medicine center was established in the USA in 2005 (ITMAT). Currently, it brings together a large number of medical institutions, includes more than 800 active members, and is developing about 100,000 programs funded by the US Department of Health.
Today, in the United States, almost every major university has similar centers. The state allocates billions of dollars to develop in this field of science. Similar institutions exist in Europe, and Finland has a grant program to finance research in molecular technology.
The situation in Russia
In Russia, the development of innovations in medicine is constrained by the low technical level of pharmaceutical production, the lack of the required number of highly qualified specialists and large pharmaceutical companies that can carry out such work. Pharmaceutical companies are currently mainly engaged in the production of drugs based on basic compounds that are imported from China and India.
In 2016, by order of the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations, the “Federal Research Center for Fundamental and Translational Medicine” was created. It was organized on the basis of four research organizations (NIIEKM, NIIIMBB, NII Biochemistry, IMPPM). The purpose of this institution is the implementation of state scientific programs in the field of biotechnology and educational activities.
At the First Moscow State Medical University. Sechenov also operates the educational department of the Institute of Pharmacy and Translational Medicine, which carries out the interaction of organizations in the field of fundamental developments and the pharmaceutical industry.