Specific Aims | Clinical & Translational Sciences | Washington University in St. Louis

The Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) has been the transformational academic home and advocate for clinical and translational science in Missouri since its inception in 2007. We will build upon the three foundational pillars of infrastructure, educational programs, and team collaborations to transform research culture and practice at Washington University (WU), our BJC HealthCare system, and our regional partner institutions at Saint Louis University (SLU), the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, and the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU). Our ICTS aligns precisely with the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) goals of developing innovative solutions to improve the efficiency, quality, and impact of translational science processes for turning observations in the laboratory, clinic, and community into practical interventions that improve the health of individuals and the public. To develop innovative solutions to improve health in St Louis, our region, and around the world, we will expand our consortium’s fundamental strengths in genomics, dissemination and implementation science, community engagement in urban and rural environments, informatics, and multiscale data integration into fundamental and clinical research. We will pursue five overall aims.

Aim 1: Advance interdisciplinary programs to develop, promote, mentor, and retain highly qualified faculty, trainees, and staff who translate scientific discoveries into action, thereby becoming agents for change in their institutions and communities.

We will enhance our strong base of existing research education and training programs, expand our workforce, and promote team science approaches to conduct and translate high-impact research. We will tailor our efforts to individual needs; promote the formation of transdisciplinary, interinstitutional, and interhub teams; rigorously assess our programs; and expand our institutional and regional strengths in genomics, dissemination and implementation, and community engagement (Translational Workforce Development).

Aim 2: Facilitate research designed for implementation by engaging communities and stakeholders in multidisciplinary collaborative teams at all stages of the translational research process, thereby demonstrating the benefit and impact of translational science.

Active participation of stakeholders in clinical and translational research advances knowledge and improves health. We will implement research discoveries that improve community health by collaborating with patient advocates, developing new partnerships, advancing the science of stakeholder engagement and collaboration, dismantling barriers to integrate research findings into clinical practice, and capitalizing on our existing strengths in implementation science (Collaboration and Engagement).

Aim 3: Integrate research across individual lifespans and apply translational science in complex populations to improve individual and community health through meaningful research collaborations and sustainable partnerships.

Healthcare systems must consider patients as more than individuals with specific diseases at single time points, and recognize the cumulative effects of complex biological, environmental, and socioeconomic factors from pre-conception through advanced age. The ICTS will address differences in disease manifestations across the lifespan and among special populations, identify challenges that differentially affect urban and rural populations, catalyze the formation of transdisciplinary teams, and evaluate the clinical, community, and entrepreneurial outcomes of our work (Integration).

Aim 4: Drive innovation, quality, efficiency, and inclusion in translational research to enhance collaborations and catalyze the implementation of discovery science.

We will facilitate the development of new methodological approaches to solve key analytical and logistical roadblocks in translational science. We will adopt and apply best practices from industry and other CTSA hubs to streamline institutional processes for conducting efficient and high-quality multicenter clinical trials. We will explore and implement innovative methods to engage stakeholders and research participants in clinical trials, thereby targeting different populations, life stages, and health states (Methods and Processes).

Aim 5: Apply innovative informatics and biostatistics solutions to improve quality and efficiency at every stage of translational research, and create an ecosystem that integrates diverse data and facilitates the interoperability, use, and reuse of digital assets.

Impact: The ICTS will leverage the robust resources of WU and its partners to achieve national CTSA goals, advance clinical and translational science, and improve human health. Successful completion of these five aims will transform translational research, accelerate the dissemination of new innovations, strengthen our workforce, and address determinants that contribute better healthcare for all.