A $23 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will energize the University of Chicago’s efforts to harness innovative medical research for interventions that lead to better health for patients in Chicago and across the nation.

The grant brings total NIH funding to the University’s Institute for Translational Medicine to more than $50 million. Formed in 2007, the ITM serves as the administrative center for translational research at UChicago. Translational research involves speeding the progress of laboratory research into health care practice and improved community health. The Institute for Translational Medicine connects researchers and community organizations with funding, education and physical resources to prevent and treat disease in real-world settings.

President Robert J. Zimmer

“The work of the ITM is part of the University of Chicago’s larger commitment to science, medicine and engineering on campus, and the impact that innovation in these areas can have on the quality of life across the city and beyond,” said President Robert J. Zimmer. “By supporting laboratory discoveries that advance diagnosis and treatment, this grant will enable us to further improve health care and contribute to economic opportunity.”

The grant will allow the ITM to continue developing new approaches to health care combining the latest research with community outreach, from implementing new medical technology to helping neighborhoods deal with violence.

"Over its first five years, the groundbreaking work of the ITM has demonstrated the power of a collaborative approach in bringing the latest scientific advances into the clinical setting,” said Kenneth Polonsky, dean of the Biological Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Medicine and executive vice president of medical affairs at the University of Chicago Medicine. “This renewal of funding will allow the Institute to continue its important mission realizing the promise of smarter, more effective health care.”