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Advances in human health require the efficient and rapid translation of scientific discoveries into effective clinical treatments. This process in turn depends on observational data gathered from patients, communities and public-health research that can be used to guide basic scientific investigation. Translational research is a term often used interchangeably with translational medicine or translational science or benchto-bedside. It is an effort to build on basic scientific research to create new therapies, medical procedures or medical diagnostics.
Basic biomedical research is focused on studying disease processes commonly using cell cultures or animal models. The adjective “translational” refers to the transition of these basic scientific findings in a laboratory setting into potential treatments for various diseases. Translational research ideally applies findings from basic science to enhance human health and well-being. Since it is a new research discipline, translational research incorporates aspects of both basic science and clinical research, requiring skills and resources that are not readily available in a basic laboratory or clinical setting.
The concept of translational research was conceived due to the elongated time often taken to bring discovered medical ideas into practical terms in a health system. It is for these reasons that translational research is more effective in dedicated university science departments or isolated, dedicated research centres. N u m e r o u s barriers to translational science have emerged among the national academic research centres, including; basic structural and cultural impediments to innovation and collaboration, shortages of trained investigators, and inadequate funding.
The barriers to translational research are more pressing in Sub-Saharan Africa, hence an urgent need to build local capacity in these areas. To address these serious and systemic problems, in 2006, the National Institutes of Health created the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program, which aims to catalyse the transformation of biomedical research at national level, speeding the discovery and development of therapies, fostering collaboration, engaging communities, and training succeeding generations of clinical and translational researchers.
Makerere University College of Health Sciences has a Translational Research Laboratory under the Infectious Diseases Institute, that has been running since June 2009. It is managed by Richard Kwizera, a THRiVE-2 PhD fellow. The laboratory supports clinical research and trainees mostly from Makerere University (i.e.,post-docs, PhD fellows, MSc students and undergraduates). The services offered by the laboratory include biorepository, point of care testing, clinical diagnostics and research in microbiology, immunology, molecular biology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacogenomics. In 2014, the Laboratory acquired a larger space, which was provided with additional scientific equipment allowing a wider range of assays to be conducted in the Laboratory, from routine diagnostics to highly complex assays.
The lab has a team of experienced technologists competent enough to carry out sample processing and biorepository under the mentorship of the Lab manager. From 2013-2020 the Laboratory has collaborated with internationally renowned universities in support of numerous research projects. All of these projects have the potential to lead to better treatment options for patients in Uganda and worldwide.
