NCATS at 10: Improving Health for All Through Translational Science

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In December 2021, NCATS marked 10 years of harnessing the power of translational science to speed solutions for many diseases at a time. Our mission is to remove or bypass scientific and operational obstacles that stand in the way of getting more treatments to more people more quickly. We do this by advancing translational science.

Translational science looks at the big picture to identify common pitfalls and develop innovative solutions, thus enabling promising discoveries to become real-world applications that improve people’s health. Our activities exemplify translational science principles, such as boundary-crossing collaborations, bold and rigorous approaches, and efficiency and speed.

To commemorate our 10-year anniversary and usher in the next decade of bold solutions, we hosted a virtual event on Dec. 7, 2021, from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST, to highlight how our innovative and team-science approach addresses unmet needs. Featured topics spotlighted the transformational power of data, novel approaches for de-risking a drug’s journey along the preclinical pathway, crosscutting solutions for many diseases, and high-impact innovations in clinical research. Speakers provided perspective on remaining roadblocks and new opportunities through conversations and lightning round talks. View the list of speakers.

NCATS uses translational science and state‑of‑the‑art technologies to tackle the toughest health challenges. We look forward to another decade of building bold solutions that break down barriers and bring more treatments to all people more quickly.

Joni L. Rutter, Ph.D.
NCATS Acting Director

Agenda Snapshot

2d illustration of head outline made of circuits. AI and software concept

Transformational Power of Data

Too often, research happens in silos because there is no infrastructure to link information in meaningful ways. This session focused on collaborative efforts, including Biomedical Data Translator and National COVID Cohort Collaborative, that connect disparate data to reveal patterns that can speed health research.

Speakers:

Christine Cutillo, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Melissa A. Haendel, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus
Matt Might, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Anne R. Pariser, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

Human hand holding tissue chip to astronaut glove.

Enabling Promising Preclinical Candidates

About 95% of promising preclinical therapeutic candidates fail in human clinical trials. This session highlighted the roles of patients, researchers and clinicians, as well as technologies such as 3D bioprinting and tissue chips, in improving these odds.

Speakers:

Marc Ferrer, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Esther Krofah, FasterCures and the Milken Institute Center for Public Health
Donald C. Lo, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Sanath Ramesh, OpenTreatments Foundation
Danilo Tagle, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Timothy Yu, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's Hospital

Colorful group of paper cut outs shaped as people.

Many Diseases at a Time

Today’s drug development efforts focus on one disease at a time. Given the current pace, it will take centuries to develop treatments for the over 10,000 known diseases. This session focused on platform approaches that are changing the paradigm – and the timeline.

Speakers:

Philip John (PJ) Brooks, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Edward Neilan, National Organization for Rare Disorders
Matthew D. Hall, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Christina Hartman, The Assistance Fund
Peter Marks, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Doctor with mask and child in forefront, other doctors and patients in background.

The Future of Clinical Research

Improving health for all depends on making sure new treatments benefit the people and communities who most need them. This session featured perspectives from leaders within the CTSA Program who are pushing the boundaries of clinical research to reach people where they are.

Speakers:

Olveen Carrasquillo, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Alejandra Hurtado de Mendoza, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Michael G. Kurilla, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Wilbur Lam, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology
Eric Topol, Scripps Research Translational Institute

See the full agenda.

Browse NCATS’ Resources on Translational Science

Explore video stories about innovative work advancing translational science.

View a suite of infographics and resources on NCATS and translational science.

Find out what NCATS has done to help address COVID‑19.

Read Reflections on NCATS’ Impact

NCATS combines deep expertise in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology with a collaborative ethos, enabling scientists nationwide to make progress towards new therapies for human diseases.

Louis Staudt, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Center for Cancer Genomics
National Cancer Institute, NIH

NCATS has been a catalyst for community engagement in biomedical research and has been instrumental in creating a community of engagement scientists who have changed the way we involve patients, families and communities in research.

Consuelo H. Wilkins, M.D., M.S.C.I.
Senior Vice President and Senior Associate Dean for Health Equity and Inclusive Excellence
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Research in the rare disease community has made great strides because of the mission and efforts of NCATS. Acknowledging that we cannot find treatments “one disease at a time” has spurred novel collaborations and programs that will lead to more treatments sooner.

Megan O'Boyle
Patient Engagement Lead
RareX

Research partnerships between our public and private sectors are critical to our well-being and NCATS has taken these efforts to a new level. NCATS has been a critical player in responding to COVID-19, as well as an array of serious illnesses. Thanks for all you have done!

Joseph P. Allen
Executive Director
The Bayh-Dole Coalition

NCATS, through the CTSA Program consortium, has transformed the way we approach our science. Broad, collaborative teams of methodologists, informaticians and disciplinary investigators engender creative translational thinking and enable the acceleration of rigorous investigations. The emphasis on synergistic, complementary perspectives, including patients and communities, has deeply enriched our science.

Robert Kimberly, M.D.
Director, Center for Clinical and Translational Science
University of Alabama at Birmingham

The partnership between NIGMS and NCATS on the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) initiative is a stellar example of NCATS’ ability to drive clinical research in areas of greatest need. Participation of NIGMS’ Institutional Development Award Networks for Clinical and Translational Research increased the demographic diversity of N3C data and galvanized clinical research programs in under-resourced states.

Jon Lorsch, Ph.D.
Director, National Institute of General Medical Sciences
NIH

Happy 10th Birthday NCATS! Your BrIDGs program made it possible for me and my colleagues to develop a new drug for heart attack that is now in Phase 2B testing. And your CTSA Program has transformed the way we at Rockefeller University conduct and support clinical research and educate the next generation of translational scientists. And the best is surely yet to come. Bravo!

Barry Coller, M.D.
David Rockefeller Professor of Medicine
Physician-in Chief
Rockefeller University

NCATS transformed the national research ecosystem by supporting CTSA institutions to work collaboratively to tackle the most daunting health challenges. Its support for trainees created a new generation of scientists whose translational focus, team-based approaches and application of novel research tools will lead to discoveries that address emerging scientific problems.

Steven Reis, M.D.
Associate Senior Vice Chancellor for Clinical and Translational Research
University of Pittsburgh

The NCATS community engagement infrastructure made it possible for us to rapidly establish a network of community-academic-health system partnerships across California and reach diverse under-resourced communities in response to COVID-19. Over the next decade, NCATS is poised to develop and implement multisector, community-partnered, interdisciplinary interventions to improve the health of the nation, address entrenched disparities, and reduce gaps in equity.

Arleen Brown, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research
University of California, Los Angeles

NCATS established the new discipline of translational science, and in its first 10 years has shown its enormous promise to accelerate the development of diagnostics and treatments for patients in need.

Christopher P. Austin, M.D.
CEO-Partner
Flagship Pioneering

NCATS has played a catalytic role not just in advancing translational sciences, but also advancing many life-saving therapies. The young agency is a national treasure, a leading example of government at its best — non-partisan expertise in science and medicine that is making a difference in patient lives every day.

Andrew Lo, Ph.D.
Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management
Director, MIT Laboratory for Financial Engineering
MIT

Through its mission to advance translational science, NCATS has the opportunity to speed discovery to impact human health. And to do so in a way that promotes health equity and social justice. Translational science builds bridges across all parts of the translational research continuum. NCATS can help ensure that we don’t stop translating until everyone has access to discovery.

Rachel Hess, M.D., M.S.
Chief, Division of Health System Innovation and Research
University of Utah Health

The COVID-19 pandemic unequivocally demonstrated the critical importance of NCATS investment in research. Because of it, we were able to rapidly pivot our clinical and translational enterprise to deliver transformative insights into our understanding of COVID immunity, treatment of ill patients, development and deployment of vaccines, and make a difference to the protection of our community.

William Powderly, M.D.
Director, Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences
Washington University in St. Louis

NCATS has provided a critical resource for advancing rare disease research at scale. From the programs developed there to the people working throughout the Center, we are grateful for the passion and urgency demonstrated daily to help de-risk and accelerate more treatments getting from the research bench to patient bedsides. NCATS has been, remains and will continue to be one of our community’s greatest allies.

Christian Rubio, M.B.A, M.A.
Vice President, Strategic Advancement
Global Genes