Translating research into practice

Too few research findings make their way into practical use. The GW4 Translational Biomedical Research Network has been set up to take scientific discovery from laboratory bench to bedside. The network will translate fundamental research into real-life applications for medicine and health industries.

Expanding the biomedical research community

The network is led by the GW4 universities Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter, and funded by a GW4 initiator fund. It joins Bristol's existing Translational Biomedical Research Centre (TBRC) to expand its research community of over 150 biomedical scientists and companies worldwide.

The network brings together excellent research facilities and expertise to progress discoveries through collaboration. It integrates novel approaches to advance research into human disease and anatomy. Research will evolve from pre-clinical development with rodents and large animals, to first-in-man trials in the NHS.

Key GW4 facilities

• Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Centre
• Translational Biomedical research Centre
• Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre

Taking action to benefit patients

Working with the NHS, veterinary clinical science, emerging biotechnologies and the biomedical industry, the network will develop new operational and academic models. The network will have impact through:

• bringing together expertise in academia, the NHS and industry to find biomedical solutions that benefit science, the economy and society
• opening up access to research facilities with specifications that meet NHS, UK good laboratory practice monitoring agency (GLPMA) and Home Office standards
• sharing knowledge in the GW4 community and promoting wider engagements with the biomedical industry

The network will apply for a GW4 Accelerator fund in summer 2016 to extend its research. This will enable it to continue to secure external funding for major GW4 collaborative projects in 2017.