In December 2016, NCATS celebrates its fifth anniversary. The Center was officially established on Dec. 23, 2011, to transform the translational science process so that new treatments and cures for disease can be delivered to patients faster. NCATS’ Strategic Plan and its Guiding Principles ground all Center programs and initiatives, providing context to all its efforts to improve health through smarter science.
NCATS’ work spans the entire translational science spectrum; following are just a few examples of Center achievements over the past five years, arranged by research stage:
Pre-Clinical Innovation
Improving the Drug Development Process
- Stopping Metastasis in Its Tracks: New 3-D Cell Model Enables Closer Look at Cancer Progression
- Spotlight on Collaboration: A Journey From Biological Probes to Potential Therapeutics
- Ketamine Lifts Depression via a Byproduct of Its Metabolism
Repurposing Drugs
- Allergy Drug Could Treat Hepatitis C
- NIH Collaboration Helps Advance Potential Zika Treatments
- NCATS Support Leads to Clinical Trial to Test Repurposed Cancer Treatment as Alzheimer’s Therapy
- NCATS Repurposing Test Identifies 53 Drugs that May Block Ebola Infection
Testing and Predictive Models
- Modeling the Female Reproductive Tract in 3-D: The Birth of EVATAR™
- NCATS Spotlight: Toxicology in the 21st Century Program
Clinical Innovation
Streamlining and Enhancing the Nation’s Capacity for Clinical Research
- NCATS Trial Innovation Network
- NCATS Streamlined, Multisite, Accelerated Resources for Trials (SMART) Institutional Review Board (IRB) Reliance Platform
- Five Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program Hubs Enable NIH-Funded Research on Innovative Allergy Therapy
Accelerating Rare Diseases Research
- Screening Platform Is a Launch Pad for Novel Treatment Combinations
- Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases Research Leads to NIH Trial to Test Drug for Niemann-Pick Type C1
- Breathing Easier: First Treatment for Rare Lung Disease Approved
Patient and Community Engagement
Tools for Accelerating Research
- NCATS Funds Feasibility Assessment to Develop Biomedical Data Translator
- CTSA Program Supports New Ultrasensitive Diagnostic Test Development
Small Business Innovation and Technology Transfer
- NCATS Small Business Award Seeds App to Improve Medication Adherence
- NCATS’ Small Business Funding Helps Launch New Platform for Rare Diseases Drug Discovery
- NCATS Plate Washing Initiative Saves Money, Keeps Plastic Out of Landfills