UAMS Translational Research Institute receives $3.5 million federal grant

The UAMS Translational Research Institute has received funding for a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) totaling $3.5 million through Aug. 31, 2018.

According to a UAMS news release, the 11 months of funding comes from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It will enable UAMS to “continue its mission of accelerating scientific discovery with innovative programs that help researchers translate their findings into new knowledge and treatments.”

“This is a significant federal research award for Arkansas,” said Dr. Laura James, director of the Translational Research Institute and associate vice chancellor for clinical and translational research at UAMS. “We are very excited and proud to receive this award so that we can expand translational research at UAMS and improve the health of Arkansans through collaboration with our partner institutions — the Arkansas Children’s Research Institute and the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.”

The Translational Research Institute will apply for five years of CTSA funding in May 2018, according to the release. If the application is fully funded, the award would likely total more than $25 million. The first CTSA grant was awarded to UAMS in 2009.

Receipt of the $3.5 million award ensures UAMS remains a member of the national CTSA consortium, made up of 62 academic research institutions across the country.

The full news release is available here.