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Charles Hasemann, Clinical and Translational Science Institute

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — A newly established institute at Michigan State University will help bring medical advancements to the residents of Michigan, better engage communities in health research and foster career development and research opportunities for doctors.

The goal of the Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute is to become a hub for biomedical research statewide, said Charles Hasemann, director of the institute and assistant to the vice president for research and graduate studies.

“The major goal of the institute is to build a research network based on the strong foundation of our health education and community engagement network,” Hasemann said. “With MSU’s community-based hospital system for its health colleges, which involves more than 40 hospitals statewide, and our long history of community engagement through MSU Extension and University Outreach, we have a perfect and unique opportunity to accomplish that goal.”  

Under the leadership of Barbara Conley, a professor in the Department of Medicine, and J. Randolph Hillard, associate provost for human health affairs, MSU has applied for $20 million in funding over five years from the National Institutes of Health to expand the institute, which will be housed in West Fee Hall after renovations there are complete.

There are currently 22 full-time employees working within the institute, drawn from the former Office of Clinical Research and Biomedical Research and Informatics Core. Working with staff from the colleges of Human Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, Social Sciences, Communication Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Natural Sciences, the institute will strive to collaborate research opportunities.

Three fundamental types of research will be explored:

* Bench-to-bedside research: Taking basic science advancements and testing them in a clinical setting so they can help patients. The disconnect between basic research, hospital innovations and clinical practice can make it difficult for medical advancements to come to fruition, Hasemann said.

* Clinical research: Providing support for the statewide network of clinicians to help them develop and execute research and clinical trials. Often, clinicians do not have the financial ability to focus on research.

* Community-engaged research: Work with health professionals outside of hospitals to better understand their needs and to conduct research leading to better health care for residents statewide, especially populations that have been historically underserved.

A significant part of the NIH funding request is the opportunity to educate and train new clinical and translational researchers; these researchers will become faculty who translate their work to the local communities. 

“All of the partners will be more successful in executing meaningful studies and attracting federal or foundation research dollars because we can engage a larger, more diverse subject population from the MSU statewide network,” Hasemann said. “We want to develop a culture where investigators at many sites in the network routinely work together to innovate and translate research into practice.”

There is a major push by the National Institutes of Health to develop translational science initiatives nationwide, and MSU’s institute could help it secure future NIH funding, Hasemann said. MSU will learn about its original $20 million funding request early next year.

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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.