“Translating novel engineering concepts into biomedical research programs and clinical medicine”

Translational research embodies the concept of moving the application of novel hypotheses, technologies, and methodologies from the bench to the bedside, bedside to community, and community to the health policy arena to effect beneficial change in patient care, health care costs and outcomes, and to improve the public health. Successful translational research in medicine and biology seeks to leverage the innovation that occurs at the interface between disparate scientific disciplines and translate it into new technologies for novel clinical applications and practice. Science occurring at the interface between disciplines brings researchers together to create new scientific approaches to traditional problems. Not uncommonly, it is the technology that drives the process, often in a non-linear fashion and in unforeseen directions. Successful collaborations may hinge upon letting go of one's field of interest to pursue innovation in another. Success in this area is often achieved by building and funding diverse research teams and letting them innovate freely. In my presentation, I will give the audience an overview of my experiences in the development, funding, and challenges of building a diverse portfolio of translational research programs addressing a broad spectrum of medical and public health problems. These include: tissue engineering and genomics approaches to understanding and modulating aging and injury responses in the eye, telemedicine, the application of novel image analysis methods to the development of web-based, automated, population screening and management of diabetic retinopathy in underserved populations and for national clinical trials and nanotechnology applying novel biomaterials, and carbon nanofiber electrochemical sensors, to improve clinical medicine and surgery through novel ocular surgical instrument designs and nanofabrication techniques. These programs have earned the support of diverse governmental and non-governmental funding agencies including the National Eye Institute, the United States Army, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, HRSA, the pharmaceutical industry, and several private philanthropies. Finally, I will touch upon key features of successful translational teams including mentorship, identification of continuing resources to sustain progress and grantsmanship.