The National Institues of Health on Tuesday named UC Davis as part of a national consortium aimed at bringing research out of the lab more quickly and efficiently as a way to improve patient care and treatment.

The consortium is made up of 12 academic health centers around the nation, each funded through an NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award. UC Davis will receive $24.8 million over the next five years to expand the innovative and collaborative components of its existing research enterprise and to establish the

UC Davis Center for Clinical and Translational Research.

"Translational research is key to advancing our knowledge of disease and for improving patient care," said Ann Bonham, executive associate dean for research and education at the UC Davis Health System. "It is based on collaborative and dynamic interactions among physicians and scientists who ensure that a free flow of information about the current 'science' of disease — gained from studies at the laboratory bench — is equally focused on improving health and meeting the needs of practicing physicians, patients and the community at large. By creating a dynamic environment to foster these collaborations, our new center will accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into solutions for complex medical diseases."

Lars Berglund, a physician-scientist and assistant dean for clinical research who will serve as director of the UC Davis Center for Clinical and Translational Research, said the traditional academic model isolates people according to their areas of study. Scientists publish their study results in specialty journals, which are read by colleagues, Berglund said, "but with delays inherent in the publication pipeline and the sheer volume of biomedical literature, the sharing of knowledge among fields is a challenge.

"UC Davis is among the lead institutions working to eliminate these institutional and disciplinary silos, so that breakthroughs in the lab can quickly become advances in medical care that reach the populations of patients who need them."

Jill Joseph, professor of pediatrics and associate director of the program, said: ."Despite the tens of million of dollars that have gone into conducting important basic research, it hasn't translated into long-term improved health for many Americans."

Berglund added: "We need interdisciplinary research if we are to develop treatments for diseases, like cancer and diabetes, that are affected by genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors.

"The new UC Davis center is a place where experts in fields ranging from engineering to population genetics to pediatrics will find it easier to work together to discover better ways of treating and curing disease. These range from having access to streamlined, consolidated and amplified research services, such as grant writing, to having professional support in the use of novel tools and technologies to conduct research and disseminate results to populations in need."

Carole Gan is news service manager for the UC Davis Health System.