Solving the lost in translation problem: improving the effectiveness of translational research.

PubMed ID: 22980732

Author(s): Ergorul C, Levin LA. Solving the lost in translation problem: improving the effectiveness of translational research. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2013 Feb;13(1):108-14. doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2012.08.005. Epub 2012 Sep 11. Review. PMID 22980732

Journal: Current Opinion In Pharmacology, Volume 13, Issue 1, Feb 2013

Translational research frequently fails to replicate in the clinic what has been demonstrated in the laboratory. This has been true for neuroprotection in the central nervous system, neuroprotection in glaucoma, as well as many other areas of medicine. Two fundamental reasons for this ‘Lost in Translation’ problem are the ‘Butterfly Effect’ (chaotic behavior of many animal models) and the ‘Two Cultures’ problem (differences between the methodologies for preclinical and clinical research). We propose several strategies to deal with these issues, including the use of ensembles of animal models, adding intraocular pressure lowering to preclinical neuroprotection studies, changing the way in which preclinical research is done, and increasing interactions between the preclinical and clinical teams.