Welcome to the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics
The Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT) was launched in early 2005. Originally housed in the School of Medicine, within which it spans all Departments and Divisions, ITMAT has now expanded to include investigators focused on clinical and translational research in all schools at Penn, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Wistar Institute and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. These partner institutions competed successfully in 2006 for the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) funded under the NIH Roadmap, designating ITMAT as the academic home for the program. It is hoped that this website will continue to develop to function as a common portal for all investigators interested in translational research.
ITMAT is designed to cluster the many existing entities which support translational research. These include the General Clinical Research Centers (GCRCs) in both Penn and CHOP which have now been integrated into the Translational Research Laboratories, the former Center for Experimental Therapeutics (CET), the educational courses in patient oriented and translational research, including the Masters Program in Translational Research (MTR), elements of the Office of Human Research (OHR) and newly developed resources which support the translational mission. Catalyzed by the CTSA, ITMAT is now home for new Centers in Bioinformatics in Translation (BIIT), Personalized Medicine in Translation (PERMIT) and Chemical Biology in Translation (CBIT). Eleven new cores are being launched to support clinical and translational research and new programs will be fostered including several which span the pediatric - adult divide. ITMAT initially focused its endeavor on research which spans the translational gap from proof of principle in model systems to completion of studies of drug mechanism and dosing in humans at the conclusion of Phase II. Its objectives in this area are (i) to increase the size and integration of the community of researchers operating within this space; (ii) to create for them a substantial and visible presence and a common home; and (iii) to address the infrastructural hurdles which they face. Its remit has now been expanded to include the interface with chemistry and drug discovery at one extreme and pharmacoepidemiology and translation of research discoveries into practical clinical utility in the community on the other.
ITMAT will facilitate growth in the community of Penn researchers pursuing translational research (i) by direct recruitment into its own research space (roughly 23,000 NSF in Biomedical Research Building II/III) with a substantial expansion due on completion of the Anne and Jerome Fisher Translational Research Building in 2010; (ii) by adding to recruitment packages of other academic entities within Penn; and (iii) by fostering education in translational medicine and therapeutics.
ITMAT will foster the pursuit of translational medicine and therapeutics in the Greater Delaware Valley through interactions with investigators and administrators in academic institutions and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. In this regard, ITMAT launched its International Spring Symposium Series, in 2006. The topics of these meetings have included the nature of translational research, the personalization of medicine, and the emergence of the academic sector into the domain of drug discovery and drug development. A fourth symposium is scheduled for April 14 and 15, 2009 and will focus on global approaches to translational research. Presentations and video clips from the previous symposia are found at http://www.itmat.upenn.edu/symposium.shtml.
ITMAT has also sponsored workshops and funding support for interdisciplinary, translational programs in Biomedical Imaging, High Throughput Screening, Targeted Therapeutics and Entrepreneurship in Medicine.
ITMAT represents an exciting new departure for both basic and clinical researchers at Penn. Investigators are encouraged to interact with this website or to contact the Director or Associate Directors to offer suggestions for initiatives that might be pursued by the Institute and to suggest listings which might usefully be included on this website.