University Times

Pitt’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) is among 10 institutes nationwide to receive renewed National Institutes of Health funding through the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).

CTSI, which aims to accelerate the pace of translating science into real-life treatments for patients, has been awarded $67.3 million to expand its work over the next five years through the NCRR Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program.

The renewal underscores the success of Pitt’s CTSI over the first five years of the program, through which researchers have used novel computer software to improve the diagnosis of breast cancer; brought researchers together as part of the Sleep Medicine Institute to advance research into sleep disorders, and funded research into the efficacy of low-cost prescription drug programs, among other initiatives.

CTSI director Steven E. Reis, associate vice chancellor for clinical research, said, “This funding helps us take science from the laboratory to real life in ways that are useful to people. We’re grateful to be a part of the CTSA.”

The other institutions receiving renewed funding are Columbia University Medical Center; Mayo Clinic; Oregon Health & Sciences University; Rockefeller University; University of California-Davis; UC-San Francisco; University of Pennsylvania; University of Rochester, and Yale University.

Together, the institutes represent a $498 million renewed commitment on the NIH’s part to speed translational research nationwide. NIH will release a progress report on the program in August, highlighting research that has emerged from the CTSA consortium institutes.

The grants, which have been awarded to 60 academic health centers nationwide, help scientists collaborate on research that applies to a broad range of diseases. CTSA-funded institutions also work with industry, manufacturers, patient groups and nonprofit organizations to ensure that potentially life-saving new drugs and devices reach the public faster.

Pitt’s CTSI was established in 2006 with a $83.5 million NIH grant. It is a collaboration among Pitt, UPMC, Carnegie Mellon and the Urban League to transform how clinical and translational research is conducted so that promising treatments can be more readily available to patients.