A new five-year $26.9 million grant awarded to UAB will help transform basic scientific discoveries into practical applications that enhance the lives of Alabamians. The grant, one of the largest, single grants from the National Institutes of Health in UAB history, will be used to establish the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at UAB.

 “UAB’s mission is to offer top-quality health care and education to the people of our state. With this grant, we’ll be able to move early scientific discoveries much more rapidly into the community and have a more immediate impact on people’s lives and health,” said President Carol Garrison.

A key objective is increasing interaction among UAB researchers —and between them and external groups — to share information about community needs and available resources. This new approach to complements UAB’s traditional interdisciplinary approach to research and expands its efforts to improve the overall health of the population and reduce health disparities.

“One of UAB’s strengths has been how well we work with each other within the university. We recognize the value of different perspectives for solving problems and the ideas that are generated from that process,” said Lisa Guay-Woodford, M.D., professor of genetics and principal investigator on the grant.

UAB will be working with the state’s historically black colleges and universities, including Tuskegee University, and Southern Research Institute, Children’s Health System of Alabama, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and other community organizations throughout the state.

The CCTS also provides the means for people within the general community to advise researchers how best to reach them, and scientists will be able to help people understand the complexities of research and realistic timeframes for new advances.

“This enhanced two-way communication between UAB and the community will help sustain and improve the trusting relationship that each enjoys,” Guay-Woodford said.

A second major portion of the grant supports training and education. Young researchers will receive assistance with research design to create the most effective means to solve the problem. And, all researchers — from undergraduate and graduate students to clinicians — will receive support.

Ensuring researchers are undertaking their work safely and ethically is first and foremost a priority and compliance comprises a large and complex regulatory system. “We will provide researchers the resources to more easily understand and navigate that landscape,” Guay-Woodford said.

Sharing information within the university research community is another objective. The Biomedical Informatics Component will capitalize on existing strengths across the university and the Health System and develop new capabilities to enhance clinical and translational research at UAB.

Additionally, the expertise and physical resources of HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology will expand the knowledge-base and equipment available for the generation of research ideas, their interpretation and eventual development into useful products for the general public.

UAB joins 37 other institutions as part of the federally funded consortium of Clinical and Translation Science Award Centers.

“This grant is a demonstration that UAB is among the top clinical and translational research institutions in the nation,” said Robert R. Rich, M.D., UAB senior vice president of medicine and dean of the School of Medicine. “The infrastructure created through this award will enhance our researchers’ abilities to successfully compete for additional federal funding in the future.”