Translational Research Model

School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Type I Translational Research Programs

Type II Translational Research Sites

UB Freshman Discovery Seminar Program

UB Clinical and Translational Sciences Research Institute

Translational Research Model

The model above illustrates how Type I and Type II translational research programs facilitate the movement of ideas from laboratory settings to patients and from the clinical setting back to the laboratory where new research can be conducted.

The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is one of the top-ranked programs in the nation and one of the leaders at the University at Buffalo with regard to clinical research. The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences ranks fourth in the U.S. in National Institutes of Health research funding per faculty member. Individual faculty members with were awarded a total of $2.54 million in grants in 2002-2003. The total grants received in 2005 increased to $4.76 million. The School is comprised of two departments, the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Department of Pharmacy Practice. The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences is one of the top departments of its kind in the world and is recognized for numerous significant scientific and educational contributions in the areas of biopharmaceutics, drug design, drug metabolism, clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenomics. Pharmaceutical Sciences has recently been designated a Center of Excellence in Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics with an industry collaboration leading to a $3 million award. In addition, the Department of Pharmacy Practice recently transitioned to an entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy professional degree that has led to rapid growth in the clinical sciences research and training environment within multiple UB clinical affiliates. The Department of Pharmacy Practice has received more than $1.0 million in federal grants annually since 2003. In addition to individual faculty research programs, Pharmacotherapy Research Center (PRC) is planned to provide a seamless interface between UB research centers and regional clinical scientists while also providing core laboratory facilities in support of the UB Clinical and Translational Sciences Research Institute and UB 2020 Initiatives.

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Type I Translational Research Sites

  Regional HIV Center : History of the UB ACTG CRS: The UB CRS is located in the Immunodeficiency Services (IDS) program at the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) in Buffalo , New York . ECMC is the regional New York State HIV referral center for Western New York and a teaching affiliate of UB. The subunit was established in 1987 as a component of the original ACTG network in collaboration with the University of Rochester ACTU . The UB CRS has consistently enrolled patients into a variety of ACTG protocols over the 1987-2005. Other UB investigators direct an Adherence-Pharmacology Unit within the IDS at the ECMC. This unit is integrated into both the clinical care program and the clinical research program of the ECMC IDS.

 Transplantation and Renal Disease: A recent survey from Health Share Technology evaluated New York Medicare data and noted that the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) Corporation ranked first of all Upstate New York hospitals performing kidney transplantation. The overall ranking reflects the combined performance of the ECMC Transplant Program in a number of individual categories, including mortality rate, number of complications, average length of stay, and relative cost for treatment. The program is organized by quality initiatives that drive the kidney/pancreas transplantation team of surgeons, nephrologists, physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists, pharmacologists, clinicians, and support staff to achieve outstanding results. Through a longstanding UB collaboration, a clinical and translational research program investigating the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of immunosuppressive agents has been highly productive with new treatment protocols often guided by research findings. Steroid-free drug regimens prevent transplant rejection and decrease complications and the ECMC group has reported these results at recent meetings of the American Society of Nephrology identifying reduction in length of stay and better kidney function at the time of discharge. A companion transplantation program is located at the Buffalo General Hospital , providing the region with two outstanding programs that will form a model initiative for the UB CTSA. ECMC also manages the leading Western New York End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program. Services provided through the ECMC ESRD program include hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, and renal transplantation. Renal/hypertension clinical services are conducted on a weekly basis. Specialty services are provided for individuals with difficult to control high blood pressure, and other renal diseases. ECMC is also a primary site for the UB nephrology fellowship program. The Renal Services Unit is nationally-recognized for research in the causes and consequenc es of high blood pressure in pregnancy, causes of progressive kidney failure, management of viral illness in kidney transplants and drug metabolism in patients with impaired kidney function and post-transplant.

Psychiatric Clinical Research Network: The Department of psychiatry conducts clinical trials in mood disorders, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, anxiety disorders, traumatic brain injury, disaster response, and sleep disorders and is participating in the development of a national translational research center with initial studies in PTSD. The program uses clinical research facilities at ECMC and the VA and also has access to a 115 bed inpatient unit, a very active emergency psychiatry service (20-30 visits/day), and a large network of outpatient facilities for clinical investigation. The program has collaborative links to clinical and basic science research investigations with the Departments of Medicine, Psychology, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Nuclear Medicine, and Genetics and nutrition (mechanisms of weight gain) and urban planning (disaster response) with the Schools of Informatics (clinical decision making). Additional programs are at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center , with a recent post-doctoral fellowship collaboration initiated with the NYS Nathan Kline Research Institute.

 The New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences: The proposed CTSA will be headquartered in new facilities opened in spring 2006 located in the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences (CoEBLS). To house the CoEBLS, New York State has committed $110 million and private industry has committed more than $150 million toward a 400,000 sq. ft. facility recently opened on the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus that is also home to two hospitals. The formation of the world-class center for Bioinformatics is the result of a powerful collaboration between state and local government leaders, business leaders and the three major research institutions of Western New York: UB, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI). UB and its partners are committed to pursuing a pre-eminent center focused on merging novel computational approaches and techniques with biomedical sciences to speed the generation of new knowledge. A measure of commitment to the fields of computational biology, bioinformatics and imaging is the aggressive faculty recruitment plans by UB to support the CoEBLS. The research programs in CoEBLS currently focus on genomic structure, function, stability, and repair; functional proteomics and structural biology, image analysis, neuroscience and bioinformatics sciences. With increasing mammalian and microbial genomic information in hand, the emphasis in the analysis of human disease will shift from a gene-by-gene approach to global studies of gene expression in normal and disease tissues, as well as in genetically defined experimental models. This computational-intensive approach will enable an understanding of how genes cooperate during development, respond to particular stimuli, or function in the progression of neurological disease.

 Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) was the nation’s first multidisciplinary cancer research institute founded more than 100 years ago by Dr. Roswell Park, a prominent Buffalo surgeon and cancer researcher. It was among the very first cancer institutes designated by the National Cancer Institute after the passage of the National Cancer Act in 1972. Since its inception, Roswell Park has been committed to the development of improved cancer therapies and the training of clinicians and cancer researchers. RPCI has recently completed its competitive renewal for its designation as a comprehensive cancer center and was awarded this designation for the maximum period of five years with a substantial increase in budget. This is in recognition of the considerable growth and development of the basic, translational and clinical research programs which have occurred at RPCI over the last five years. RPCI is a freestanding cancer hospital, ambulatory care facility, and basic and population science research institute. The RPCI consists of more than 100 clinical faculty and 120 research faculty, all committed to research, education, and clinical investigation in cancer. RPCI investigators hold 53 million dollars in external research grants including training grants to support programs in immunology, pharmacology and therapeutics, and cancer prevention. RPCI is organized around five cancer center programs: Therapeutics, Tumor Immunology, Cancer Prevention, Genetics, and Biophysical therapies. These programs consist of scientists and clinicians from the following departments: Medicine, Genetics, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Immunology, Prevention, Surgery, Radiation Medicine, Radiology, Anesthesiology, Dermatology, and Pediatrics. More than 4,000 new cancer patients are seen at RPCI each year with more than 130,000 ambulatory visits. This clinical program provides an excellent foundation on which to conduct clinical and translational research in coordination with the UB CTSA. RPCI investigators are engaged in many NCI and NIH-supported clinical, translational, and basic research projects. This research environment provides an outstanding structure in which to complete the educational mission of RPCI. RPCI has recruited more than 60 new faculty members in basic and clinical departments over the last three years. RPCI has 522 active grant projects through January 30, 2006 . This includes 289 peer-reviewed projects, with $58M in total costs. The additional non-peer reviewed 233 projects, from industry and other sources, yield an additional $22M in total costs. The sum of total costs for all active grants at RPCI during this period was $81M. This represents a 13% increase in the number of NCI funded projects and a 20% increase in NCI funding.

  Diabetes-Endocrinology Center of Western New York : The Diabetes-Endocrinology Center of Western New York is comprised of a team of specialists, diabetes educators, a dietitian and appropriately trained and experienced nurses and assistants. These professionals work collaboratively to provide comprehensive management and control of diabetes and the prevention of diabetes related complications, such as; retinopathy and cataracts, diabetic renal disease, diabetic neuropathy, problems related to diabetic feet, accelerated atherosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes, complications related to diabetic pregnancy. Individual patient management is the primary goal of the diabetes education nurses and dietitians, who will teach you self management, diet and appropriate care for other complications in collaboration with your primary care physician and the diabetologist. Patient management also includes the most advanced medical knowledge and diagnostic technology to provide immediate testing results of blood glucose levels, HbA1c (average daily blood glucose concentration over the past 90 - 120 days), microalbuminuria, and blood pressure. This state-of-the-art testing will provide the diabetologist with accurate measurements in adjusting patients' blood glucose control regiments. The Center, located at the Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital , is part of the education program sponsored by Millard Fillmore Health System and the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. This partnership keeps the Center on the leading edge of technology and development, and assures you will receive the best and most advanced care. This is supported by the Center's leadership in front-line advances in newer treatments for diabetes, its complications, and ultimate cure.

 Regional Trauma and Burn Center: The region's only Level One Trauma Center is located at the Erie County Medical Center , an affiliate of UB. The center has a heliport and is the home to regional Telemedicine program. ECMC also has a Regional Burn Treatment Center that was established in 1989, it is the only unit of its kind in Western New York . With 24-hour-a-day burn care by a specially trained burn health care team, extensive rehabilitation programs, and comprehensive psychosocial support, the Burn Center is an integral part of ECMC's trauma care services. The Emergency Department at ECMC is also the home of the regional Telemedicine program.

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 Type II Translational Research Sites: Collaborating WNY Health Systems and Medical Practice Groups

Buffalo Medical Group: The BMG is the largest multi-specialty private practice in WNY comprising 110 physicians and 30 physician extenders. We have 3 major locations and 23 satellites. The Group has 600,000 active charts and physician representation in virtually every Hospital system in WNY. All our physicians are adjunct faculty with the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

  Community Health Center Regional Network: Oak Orchard Community Health Center (Brockport), Community Health Center of Buffalo , Northwest Buffalo Community Health Center and Westside Community Health Center ( Rochester ) are federally funded community health centers that will participate in the UB CTSA. Theses community health centers will benefit from the activities of the proposed programs because they have limited access to an academic health sciences center.

Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) Corporation encompasses an advanced academic medical center with 550 inpatient beds and 156 skilled nursing home beds, on- and off-campus health centers, over 40 outpatient specialty care clinics, and the Erie County Home, a 586-bed skilled nursing facility. The medical center serves as the regional center for trauma, burn, rehabilitation, and a major teaching facility for the State University of New York at Buffalo . The ECMC Corporation is dedicated to being the medical center of choice through excellence in patient care and customer service.

 Kaleida Health is the largest health care provider in Western New York . More than one million patient visits are recorded annually at Buffalo General Hospital , DeGraff Memorial Hospital , Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital , Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital , Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo and its 99 clinics and numerous community health care centers. The not-for-profit family of health care companies also includes the Deaconess Center and Waterfront long-term care facilities, plus the nation's oldest, and original, Visiting Nursing Association.

 Lifetime Health Medical Group: Lifetime Health Medical Group provides primary healthcare for more than 100,000 patients in Buffalo and Rochester . A variety of services are offered at each health center and most sites include pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, internal medicine, pediatrics, family practice, and specialty care. In Buffalo , there are seven health centers, obstetrics/gynecology, a dental center, urgent care, physical therapy, colonoscopy, and complementary/integrated medicine. In Rochester , there are four primary health centers, as well as a family practice for the deaf, a Spanish-speaking practice, dermatology, eye services and urgent care. Several community-based physician offices are part of the group.

 RPCI: The RPCI hospital and clinical facilities are dedicated solely to cancer diagnosis and treatment. The 600,000 sq. ft. of space includes 119 beds, 12 multidisciplinary specialty clinics, 8 major operating rooms, 2 fully integrated minimally invasive surgical suites and 10 outpatient procedure/operating rooms.

  Sheehan Memorial Hospital : Sheehan Memorial is a community-based, not-for-profit hospital specializing in inpatient addictions treatment and outpatient care. More than 80 percent of Sheehan’s patients are African-American. Sheehan’s patients are served by a culturally diverse clinical and medical support staff. Sheehan operates 40 inpatient beds, including a 10-bed medically managed detoxification unit and a 30-bed substance abuse rehabilitation unit. Sheehan offers one-stop healthcare services for community residents. At a single Sheehan location, patients can access primary health care, lab testing, radiology services, six specialty care clinics, cardio-pulmonary diagnostic testing, 340B discount pharmacy services and wellness programming.

Upstate New Consortium for Health Care Research and Quality (UNYCHRQ): UB is a member of UNYCHRQ and will be participating in the regional translational research network that is being coordinated by this group.