PHOENIX — The HonorHealth Research Institute (HRI) hopes to transform Arizona’s biomedical research landscape with its Center for Translational Science.
This center aims to bridge the gap between scientific discoveries and real-world solutions that benefit patients, according to HonorHealth CEO Todd LaPorte.
“With this new Center for Translational Science, we intend to further expand novel science and our abilities to work with academic institutions, universities, the private sector, government agencies and other hospital groups towards the substantial betterment of humanity,” LaPorte said in a Tuesday news release.
Officials expect the center to open within the next month or so.
How will translational science impact cancer research in Arizona?
HRI is already engaged in hundreds of clinical trials aimed at helping patients suffering from various conditions, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders.
Currently, it has five different divisions, according to Dr. Michael Gordon, HRI’s chief medical officer:
Cancer or oncology clinical trials.
Neuroscience.
Cardiovascular.
GI and bariatrics.
A multi-specialty research division that focuses on rheumatology, pulmonary medicine and surgical research.
“If we think of the divisions within HRI as being silos that work in a functional way, what translational science will do is it will build bridges between these core elements, creating a stronger infrastructure and allowing investigators who traditionally have lived exclusively in their domain to begin to engage and interact in a multifunctional way,” Gordon said.
Boosting collaboration through the center will also advance therapies and drug-delivery systems, he added.
“Scientific advances do not exist in closets,” Gordon said. “They are designed to be expanded upon so that other scientists can take advantage of them and angle them in a direction that expands the breath of patients who are benefiting from that understanding.”
Better understanding the science behind certain diseases will have positive ripple effects, he said.
“We will be able to work through the processes of developing treatments, understanding the risks of side effects, and improving the delivery of care for larger volumes of patients,” Gordon said.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kate Ourada contributed to this report.