AURORA — A nationwide effort to reduce the time it takes for laboratory discoveries to become treatments for patients has resulted in a $76 million, five-year grant to the University of Colorado Denver.
The award from the National Institutes of Health is the largest biomedical research and training award in the state’s history.
At a press conference this morning, school officials said the money will be used to create an unprecedented statewide network of research, health care and community facilities.
“I feel great about it — it helps us along the way of becoming a world-class campus,” said CU president Bruce Benson, who noted that he hopes Anschutz Medical Campus becomes a destination. “This is the kind of thing that will put us there.”
The effort will be coordinated by a newly created organization called the Colorado Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
The institute will combine and coordinate the efforts of research scientists, health care providers and representatives of five hospitals, six health care professional schools and 12 community health organizations.
“We’re going to have the right scientist doing the right research on the diseases that are important to the people of Colorado,” said Dr. Ronald Sokol, who will direct the organization.
“We plan to convert discoveries into treatment, prevention, lifestyle changes and education,” he said.
UC Denver is one of 14 academic health centers in 11 states that will receive $533 million from the NIH over the next five years.
The 14 academic health centers join 24 others announced in 2006 and 2007 that have received NIH’s Clinical and Transitional Science Awards.
The 2008 CTSA grants expand state representation and the consortion to Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts and Utah.
“With more than half of NIH’s funding allocated for basic research, the CTSA consortion is perfectly poised to help move discoveries in the laboratory to improve patient care,” said NIH director Elias Zerhouni.
Only 60 of the grants will be awarded across the country.
UC Denver chancellor M. Roy Wilson said, “It’s going to make the clinical research program robust.”
Staff writer Alison Sherry contributed to this report.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
