As part of the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s Mid-term Report for the Strategic Plan in Action, the Academy of Translational Medicine (ATM) is in the spotlight.
The feature Accelerating the development of lifesaving medicine highlights how the UBC Faculty of Medicine is translating scientific discoveries into clinical practice to solve some of life’s most pressing health challenges. Traditionally, the application of biomedical innovation lags significantly behind its discovery, which delays patients’ access to the cutting–edge medicine they need. However, this process can be expedited, as demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic response led by UBC researchers, staff, spin-off companies and partners, resulting in a rapidly-available vaccine.
Using this momentum, the Faculty of Medicine has been facilitating various initiatives that collectively aim to save more lives, sooner, including Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub (CIEBH), the B.C. MS Cell Therapies Translational Research Network (MS Research Network), and the Academy of Translational Medicine (ATM). These efforts will help catapult the University, province, and ultimately Canada into leadership positions in the life science sector. The Mid-term Report outlines how instrumental translational medicine is to tackling the barriers that prevent successful and efficient travel through the bench-to-bedside continuum for therapeutics and medical innovations. The ATM thanks the Faculty of Medicine for this recognition in its feature article. At the forefront of this approach and led by Dr. Poul Sorensen and Dr. Dean Regier, the ATM shares the Faculty of Medicine’s enthusiasm regarding its efforts and commends the Faculty of Medicine’s dedication to radically optimizing medical innovation for practical use.