NCATS at 10: A decade of translational science for improved health

Graphic courtesy of NCATS.

Graphic courtesy of NCATS.

Published February 2, 2022

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“The work of NCATS is designed to support translational science, which is the study of innovative approaches to break down barriers and speed translation of discoveries into better healthcare interventions.”
Timothy F. Murphy, MD
Tim Murphy.

For the last 10 years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has worked to advance translational science in order to overcome the scientific and operational obstacles that stand in the way of getting new treatments to the public. In December 2021, NCATS commemorated its 10-year anniversary with a virtual event highlighting its first decade of harnessing the power of translational science.

“NCATS at 10: Improving Health for All Through Translational Science” featured speakers providing unique perspectives on innovative solutions and team science approaches. If you missed the virtual event, or would like to watch it again, the full video is available for viewing on the NCATS website.

University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Director Timothy F. Murphy, MD, sees the tenth anniversary as a time for reflecting on NCATS’ impact on translational science.

“NCATS is the only NIH institute that doesn’t have its own ‘disease,’” Murphy says. “Rather, the work of NCATS is designed to support translational science, which is the study of innovative approaches to break down barriers and speed translation of discoveries into better healthcare interventions.”

The video of the half-day virtual event features introductory remarks from outgoing NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, and NCATS Acting Director Joni L. Rutter, PhD.

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

Agenda highlights include:

  • “Welcome to NCATS at 10”
  • “Transformational Power of Data” (approximately 00:30 into video)
  • “Enabling Promising Preclinical Candidates” (approximately 1:01 into video)
  • “Many Diseases at a Time” (approximately 2:04 into video)
  • “The Future of Clinical Research” (approximately 2:44 into video)
  • “The Science of the Future, Today” (approximately 3:31 into video)

In addition to the “NCATS at 10” video, the website features an agenda snapshot, NCATS resources on translational science, and  reflections on NCATS’ impact.