Translation under one roof

NIH director Francis Collins is pushing to move more NIH research downstream, but he is facing opposition from academic groups concerned that focusing on translational research in a time of flat budgets poses a threat to basic science funding as well as skepticism that NIH has the resources or expertise to make a major impact on drug development.

Collins achieved a major victory earlier this month when NIH's Scientific Management Review Board endorsed creation of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The board's action makes it possible for Collins to recommend the creation of NCATS to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who is expected to notify Congress of the plan...