Translational biology is the scientific process that bridges observations made in biological sciences with practical interventions that directly benefit human health and well-being. Translational medicine or “bench-to-bedside” research refers to the transfer of findings in the laboratory to innovations in health. It emphasizes the role of model biological systems to explore molecular processes.
This article describes translational biology in medicine, its application in different settings, and provides examples of translational research.
Translational Biology Defined
Translational biology is the scientific process that bridges observations made in biological sciences with practical interventions in clinical practice to impact human health and well-being. The goal is to move biological science discoveries more rapidly and efficiently to clinical practice. An essential feature of translational biology in medicine is using experimental model systems to study biomedical conditions. Examples of model systems include cell lines, primary cells, and animal models. Animal and cellular models in biomedical research enable researchers to test hypotheses about fundamental questions, e.g., molecular and physiologic processes in aging. Experimental model systems can be applied in drug discovery.
Scientists and researchers in translational biology
- use different approaches, e.g., protein modeling, structure-based drug design, structure determination, and production/analysis methodologies for therapeutic targets and new drug molecules
- work with biological and biochemical systems at the molecular level
- consider molecular structure and biochemical mechanism in drug design
- consider moral and ethical aspects of translational biology research.
Translational biology researchers draw from various enabling facilities, including:
- Biobanks – which may focus on ethical studies of human tissues
- Bioinformatics – combines expertise in bioinformatics, human genetics, next-generation sequencing (NGS), and molecular diagnosis to support genomics research.
- Biosafety – access to instrumentation for cell sorting and DNA sequencing for research on live pathogenic bacteria and viruses
- Histopathology – with high-throughput, multiplex detection procedures to visualize complex biological structures and molecular components
- Immunophenotyping – high-speed, multicolor flow cytometers and cell sorters
- Molecular imaging – high-resolution and super-resolution microscopy
- Proteomics and molecular analysis – advanced spectrometry and integrated bioanalytical services
- Small animal imaging labs – non-invasive imaging in pre-clinical animal models
Translational Biology in Different Settings
Industry
From an industry perspective, a significant bottleneck for drug development happens at the interface of drug discovery and early clinical development – the translational gap. Translational medicine and precision medicine overlap and are referred to by Hartl et al. (2021) as translational precision medicine (TPM). TPM integrates mechanism-based early drug development and patient-centric late drug development into an end-to-end biomarker-guided drug development cycle. Key components include multi-omics profiling, digital biomarkers, artificial intelligence (AI), biomarker-guided trial designs, and patient-centric companion diagnostics.
Hartl et al. (2021) describe critical success factors as the
- translation of mechanisms from research to early clinical development (bench-to-bedside)
- reverse translation from late clinical development to drug discovery (bedside-to-bench)
- data-driven mechanism-indication pairing
- translation of omics signatures into clinically relevant biomarkers and endotypes
- development of patient-tailored companion diagnostics and precision medicines.
Academic research centers
Universities like McGill University conduct academic research through research centers that bring together researchers from interdisciplinary research programs, including brain repair and integrative neuroscience, cancer research, cardiovascular health, child health and human development, metabolic disorders and complications, infectious diseases and immunity, injury repair recovery, and respiratory diseases. Researchers are involved in fundamental biomedical research using various models and interdisciplinary approaches to understand the factors contributing to human health.
Teaching hospitals
Massachusetts General Hospital established a translational research center to conduct first-in-patient clinical trials in collaboration with industry. The focus is on early-stage proof-of-concept trials where early treatment of recruited patients provides evidence of the efficacy of a potential intervention in the target treatment population.
Academic programs
To prepare the next generation of researchers and scientific leaders, universities like the University of Edinburgh offer graduate study programs, e.g., the Drug Discovery and Translational Biology program, to equip researchers with structural biology, bioinformatics, chemistry, and pharmacology knowledge.
Examples of Translational Research
Cancer
In cancer research, translational biology encompasses all aspects of neoplastic disease, including
- molecular cell biology (genetics, stem cells, invasion and metastasis, and immune surveillance)
- tumor environment, novel cancer diagnosis and treatment tools, e.g., biomarkers, drug design, screening, and personalized medicine
- social, psychological, and economic consequences.
A recent study by Jiang et al. (2022) highlighted translational big-data cancer studies that require significant computational resources for analysis. Combining big data, bioinformatics, and AI has improved our understanding of cancer biology. A major focus of translational big-data cancer studies has been genomics tests for predicting disease risk. In immuno-oncology, translational research has created opportunities for explaining complex pathophysiology and the discovery of novel biomarkers and drug targets.
Immunity and infectious disease
Translational research in this area includes contemporary and emerging pathogens, the human immune response, and current techniques for the development and delivery of novel therapeutic and prophylactic drugs. In addition, the social, psychological, and economic consequences of infectious and immune diseases are studied.
Akindele et al. (2022) studied translational research for drug repurposing. Researchers used an integrative network approach to determine genetic overlaps in pathophysiology between tuberculosis (TB) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis, and lung cancer. They identified hub genes linked to inflammatory/immune and stress responses and, subsequently, a network of drugs that target them.
Conclusion
Translational biology facilitates the process of going from basic research in the lab to more meaningful interventions that directly benefit human health. From an industry perspective, translational medicine can play a role in correcting the major bottleneck for drug development, which happens at the interface of drug discovery and early clinical development.
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