The Clinical and Translational Science Institute, a partnership of Children’s National Medical Center and GW, has been awarded a $20 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Translational science refers to translating research from the “bench,” or the laboratory, into treatment that can be applied at the patient’s bedside.
This is the first time the NIH’s National Center for Research Resources has given the Clinical and Translational Science Award to a children’s hospital. The award will be spread out over five years.
Although other CTSA member institutions feature pediatric research tracks, the GW-Children’s collaboration is the first effort in the history of the award to focus on the ways translational science can be applied to young patients.
“Expanding our translational research and development activities, both within the different components at GW and with Children’s National Medical Center will provide new educational opportunities for young investigators and deliver cutting edge modalities for patients,” said Peter Hotez, Walter G. Ross Professor and Chair of GW’s Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, who is leading the GW side of the project.
“George Washington’s expertise in translating research discoveries into biologics, coupled with the support of the CTSA, will further expand our commitment to developing new diagnostics and vaccines for the neglected infections of poverty that affect children right here in our nation’s capital,” Dr. Hotez said.
“Both Children’s National and The George Washington University have long invested significant resources in investigating and understanding the health needs of the children and families of metropolitan Washington,” said Jill Joseph, co-principal investigator of the CTSA, in a release.
“The families of our area, and across the country, have already benefited from what we’ve learned about better clinical treatments and improved community education for common diseases like asthma,” said Dr. Joseph, who is director of the institute at Children’s National. “We look forward to even greater breakthroughs in providing that care, now bolstered by new research collaborations with consortium institutions.”
The institute was created in 2008 as a partnership between Children’s National and GW, with three main focus areas: childhood diseases (such as cancer, birth defects, developmental disabilities and asthma), as well as childhood diseases that persist into adulthood (such as congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy) and worsen or develop with age (such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and obesity).
“We’re grateful to the National Center for Research Resources for recognizing the importance of fostering research programs that are designed to address health issues on multiple levels at once, especially in pediatrics,” said Mark Batshaw, chief academic officer at Children’s National. “As we’ve learned through our collaborative models in diseases like asthma, when it comes to pediatric health, particularly in urban health settings, the team science model is most successful at ensuring that families who need innovative treatments can access them sooner.”