Translational Medicine

Translational medicine (TM) can be defined as the continuum from a scientific idea or finding all the way through to a diagnostic tool and/or therapy applied to human diseases. The field of TM encompasses molecular medicine, intellectual property, financing, regulation, preclinical and clinical trial studies, among other disciplines.

By its very nature, TM is interdisciplinary, complex in the interactions among disciplines and among academia, industry, government and patient organizations. Currently, training and career development within any of the relevant disciplines seldom provide the knowledge and professional skills needed to successfully navigate the TM pathway. Limited training exists to holistically understand translational medicine within any single institution; training at the international level does not exist. Most importantly, the itinerary from molecular to clinical medicine requires a seamless trajectory to ensure that talent, ideas, and potential cures are captured.

An important resource and one that is a fundamental unmet need is human capital: a person who is a builder of bridges, who has the knowledge, the skill and the desire to navigate the challenges and components of this complex field. System-wide networks which can inspire, catalyze and sustain TM on an international scale simply do not exist. And it is this need that Eureka seeks to address.