NIH Sets Forth Vision for Reengineering Translational Science

I am pleased to share with you today a detailed description of the scientific goals and functions of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a proposed new entity of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will strive to reengineer the process of developing drugs, diagnostics, and devices. Millions of people are looking to science to deliver new and better ways to detect, treat, and prevent disease—and the scientific opportunities have never been greater. Consequently, the time is right for us to take bold action to transform the translational research enterprise. My vision for the new Center is laid out in a Commentary that published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine and follows below.

Reengineering Translational Science: The Time Is Right
Reference: F.S. Collins, Reengineering Translational Science: The Time Is Right. Sci. Transl. Med. 3, 90cm17 (2011).

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Institutes of Health