@article{12a7b3f7add34bf480f3bcebbea7d2ac,
title = "Roadblocks to translational challenges on viral pathogenesis",
abstract = "Distinct roadblocks prevent translating basic findings in viral pathogenesis into therapies and implementing potential solutions in the clinic. An ongoing partnership between the Volkswagen Foundation and Nature Medicine resulted in an interactive meeting in 2012, as part of the Herrenhausen Symposia series. Current challenges for various fields of viral research were recognized and discussed with a goal in mind-to identify solutions and propose an agenda to address the translational barriers. Here, some of the researchers who participated at the meeting provide a concise outlook at the most pressing unmet research and clinical needs, identifying these key obstacles is a necessary step towards the prevention and cure of human viral diseases.",
author = "Steven Deeks and Christian Drosten and Louis Picker and Kanta Subbarao and Joann Suzich",
note = "Funding Information: Translation of preclinical findings to the human system is also problematic, with clinical investigators facing a number of barriers to success. Gaining knowledge about HIV transmission and persistence during therapy will require the study of mucosal and lymphoid tissues, but very few groups can routinely access and process such tissues. Clinical studies increasingly require teams of clinical and basic scientists, leading to uncertain academic advancement pathways and sources of support. Translational studies of new concepts are difficult to get through peer review, as they are typically small pilot studies. Investigation in humans also invariably involves risk that deters many funders and that draws attention from multiple oversight committees, which can lead to overwhelming regulatory hurdles. Finally, human studies aimed at defining the biology of HIV infection and/or selecting therapies for future, more definitive clinical trials are expensive, requiring considerably more funds compared to laboratory-and small-animal model–based projects. As is increasingly recognized by the key funders of HIV vaccine and cure research, the traditional academic research model of independent laboratory-and animal model-based research groups funded by small project research grants will not, by itself, achieve the goals of the HIV vaccine and cure agendas. One of the key challenges of our field will be to adapt to the cooperative, multidisciplinary nonhuman primate model and clinical research-oriented science that will be necessary for success. —LP & SD",
year = "2013",
month = jan,
doi = "10.1038/nm.3050",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "19",
pages = "30--34",
journal = "Nature medicine",
issn = "1078-8956",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
number = "1",
}