Translational Research Informatics (TRI) is a sister domain to or a sub-domain of Biomedical informatics or Medical Informatics concerned with the application of informatics

Informatics (academic field)

Informatics is the science of information, the practice of information processing, and the engineering of information systems. Informatics studies the structure, algorithms, behavior, and interactions of natural and artificial systems that store, process, access and communicate information...

 theory and methods to translational research

Translational research

Translational research is a way of thinking about and conducting scientific research to make the results of research applicable to the population under study and is practised in the natural and biological, behavioural, and social sciences...

. There is some overlap with the related domain of Clinical Research Informatics, but TRI is more concerned with enabling multi-disciplinary research to accelerate clinical outcomes, with clinical trials often being the natural step beyond translational research.

Translational Research

Translational research

Translational research is a way of thinking about and conducting scientific research to make the results of research applicable to the population under study and is practised in the natural and biological, behavioural, and social sciences...

 as defined by the National Institutes of Health http://www.nih.gov/ includes two areas of translation. One is the process of applying discoveries generated during research in the laboratory, and in preclinical studies, to the development of trials and studies in humans. The second area of translation concerns research aimed at enhancing the adoption of best practices in the community. Cost-effectiveness of prevention and treatment strategies is also an important part of translational research.

Overview of Translational Research Informatics

Translational Research Informatics can be described as “An integrated software solution to manage the: (i) logistics, (ii) data integration, and (iii) collaboration, required by translational investigators and their supporting institutions.” It is the class of informatics systems that sits between and often interoperates with: (i) Health Information Technology

Health information technology

Health information technology provides the umbrella framework to describe the comprehensive management of health information across computerized systems and its secure exchange between consumers, providers, government and quality entities, and insurers...

/Electronic Medical Record

Electronic medical record

An electronic medical record is a computerized medical record created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital or physician's office...

 systems, (ii) CTMS/Clinical Research Informatics, and (iii) statistical analysis and data mining

Data mining

Data mining , a relatively young and interdisciplinary field of computer science is the process of discovering new patterns from large data sets involving methods at the intersection of artificial intelligence, machine learning, statistics and database systems...

.

Translational Research Informatics is relatively new, with most CTSA http://www.ctsaweb.org/ awardee academic medical centers actively acquiring and integrating systems to enable the end-to-end TRI requirements. One advanced TRI system is being implemented at the Windber Research Institute

Windber Research Institute

Windber Research Institute or WRI is a private, non-profit biomedical research institute that is focused on women's health, cardiovascular disease and processes of aging, is located on Somerset Avenue in Windber, PA...

 in collaboration with GenoLogics http://www.genologics.com and InforSense. Translational Research Informatics systems are expected to rapidly develop and evolve over the next couple of years.

Systems in Translational Research Informatics

System Type	Description of System
Translational Study Management	Systems to manage investigator lead biomarker validation studies / outcomes / observational studies.
Electronic Patient Questionnaires	Web based forms for capturing participant demographic, condition, treatment, and outcomes information.
Clinical Information Management	Systems to integrate clinical annotations extracted from various sources systems, like HL7 Electronic Medical Records, Cancer Registries, Clinical Data Management Systems, and Clinical Data Warehouses.
Biorepository Management Systems	Manage biospecimens derrived from study participants, operating rooms, etc.
Laboratory Information Management Systems	Systems to manage clinical, analytical, and life sciences core technology laboratories - often conducting genomics Genomics Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,... , proteomics Proteomics Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, as they are the main components of the physiological metabolic pathways of cells. The term "proteomics" was first coined in 1997 to make an analogy with... , metabolomics Metabolomics Metabolomics is the scientific study of chemical processes involving metabolites. Specifically, metabolomics is the "systematic study of the unique chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes leave behind", the study of their small-molecule metabolite profiles... , molecular imaging Molecular imaging Molecular imaging originated from the field of radiopharmacology due to the need to better understand the fundamental molecular pathways inside organisms in a noninvasive manner.- Overview :... , peptide synthesis Peptide synthesis In organic chemistry, peptide synthesis is the production of peptides, which are organic compounds in which multiple amino acids are linked via amide bonds which are also known as peptide bonds... , flow cytometry Flow cytometry Flow cytometry is a technique for counting and examining microscopic particles, such as cells and chromosomes, by suspending them in a stream of fluid and passing them by an electronic detection apparatus. It allows simultaneous multiparametric analysis of the physical and/or chemical... , etc.
Systems Biology Systems biology Systems biology is a term used to describe a number of trends in bioscience research, and a movement which draws on those trends. Proponents describe systems biology as a biology-based inter-disciplinary study field that focuses on complex interactions in biological systems, claiming that it uses...  / Science Data Management	A data base and content management system to archive raw instrument files and database science results data.
Research Collaboration System	A software solution to enable investigators and their research teams to share project information, results data, and insights.

CTRI Dedicated WIKI

Further discussion of this domain can be found at the Clinical Research Informatics Wiki (CRI Wiki), a wiki dedicated to issues in Clinical and Translational Research Informatics.

See also

Translational Research

Translational research

Translational research is a way of thinking about and conducting scientific research to make the results of research applicable to the population under study and is practised in the natural and biological, behavioural, and social sciences...

 

Biomedical Informatics 

Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...

 

Clinical Research Informatics

Related Web Sites

ResearchInformatics.org

NIH Roadmap

Clinical and Translational Science Awards

American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)