A mechanism to deal with the conflict of interest that naturally exists when a medical device or a drug reaches the clinical study

phase.26 This involves the combination of an appropriate institutional committee with full transparency of the investigator’s ties to the specific technology, to the patient, and to society. Such mechanisms exist in leading institutions worldwide and are a must in any institution conducting clinical research. THE ACADEMIC TRANSLATIONAL SCIENTIST While it is agreed that science leads to progress in medicine, there are ample Selleck XL184 differences between basic and translational research, as discussed by Barry Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Coller.27,28Table 1 lists the key differences between a basic and a translational Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical scientist. Table 1. Translational versus basic research. Basic scientists seek to add new knowledge and make discoveries. They test the validity of current conceptual models, challenge accepted paradigms, and design experiments that Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical will lead to new mechanistic information that will transform the conceptual model in their discipline. This can eventually lead to many new applied therapeutic methods, but it is not an essential part of it. The best example that comes to mind is that of the Nobel Laureates, Avram Hershko, Aaron Ciechanover, andIrwin Rose,29 who

discovered ubiquitin, the energy-dependent protein degradation system. Only 30 years later this new knowledge was translated to the bedside, and a drug against multiple myeloma (Velcade™ (bortezomib)) was developed Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical based on the discovery of the ubiquitin pathway mechanism.30 Translational research scientists seek to improve human health by matching a discovery to a clinical need. The experiments that Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical are required may involve both scientific and translational hypotheses. Bilateral bench and bedside experiments are needed, and often

a few cycles and phases of such experiments are required. The ultimate outcome the is a new therapy or diagnostic method, with proven benefit to the patient, based on a well-conducted clinical study, leading to regulatory approval and medical usage. Translational scientists must have a conceptual understanding of the entire process leading to approval. They must be able to articulate a health need combined with a basic science hypothesis, to design a robust and tractable assay, and to conceptualize a pivotal study for proof of hypothesis leading to approval. They may do this alone, but it is better achieved with an expert group. PERSPECTIVES INTO THE FUTURE It is clear that technology and science will continue to drive medicine through national and international collaborations. In just 40 years we will live to the age of 100.