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Translating translation

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 17, pages 455–456 (2018)Cite this article

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The term 'translation' has emerged as a dominant concept in biomedical science over the last decade, but confusion around what the term means, and how it differs from translational research and translational science, is common. This article aims to help address this issue by clarifying the distinctions.

As director of the leading US public agency focused on translational science, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), I speak frequently to diverse audiences about translation and its relatives, translational research and translational science. Despite the widespread use of these terms, I have found widespread variation in their intended meaning, and frequent confusion among scientists, physicians, patients and policy makers about what translation is, how it differs from translational research and translational science, and how each relates to areas of biomedical research with which they may be more familiar. With the hope of advancing scientific and public discourse on translation and its potential and challenges, I offer here some definitions and distinctions.

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  1. National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Christopher P. Austin

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  1. Christopher P. Austin
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Correspondence to Christopher P. Austin.

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The author declares no competing financial interests.

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The National Academies Press. Definitions of Basic, Applied, and Fundamental Research

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Austin, C. Translating translation. Nat Rev Drug Discov 17, 455–456 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd.2018.27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd.2018.27

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