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Science in Service
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President &​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ CEO Letter
2025 Annual Metrics
Cycle of Translation
From Discovery to Clinic
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Cycle of Translation
Cycle of Translation
A Transformational Vision for Medical Research
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Houston Methodist met the challenge of translation early in the design of the Research Institute building, housing essential services and technology that support the full cycle of development to efficiently and effectively deliver innovations to the clinic.
The first iteration of the Cycle of Translation was introduced more than 10 years ago to represent our vision of translating laboratory innovations into effective and efficient tangible solutions that benefit patient care and outcomes. In 2024, we invited HMAI faculty to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the cycle in conveying our vision. The overall response that was 95% favored broadening the cycle to capture everything we do today—advancing innovations that improve human health and clinical care into practice.
    • Insight from patient care and outcomes defines clinical needs.
    • Medically inspired team science performs exploratory research.
    • Their inventions have real-world value and protectable intellectual property.
    • Inventions are further developed through applied research.
    • These inventions progress through an FDA regulated product development and preclinical validation process, which includes design, production and controlled GLP studies.
    • If shown to be effective in clinical trials and studies, inventions can be implemented through piloting, education and implementation, evaluated for quality and safety, and scaled for rollout to patient care.
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    Invention Inventions that solve a problem have real world value and protectable intellectual property.
    Education & Implementation Interprofessional education programs employ the latest advances in simulation and implementation science to facilitate the safe and efficient adoption of new technologies as they are approved for clinical use.
    Quality & Safety As part of the systemwide goals for quality improvement and patient safety, we develop our education programs to incorporate high reliability organization principles and use team-based training approaches to maximize patient outcomes.
    Patient Care & Outcomes The Cycle begins and ends with the care of patients in our hospitals and clinics. Clinicians in our hospitals care for more than 2.2 million patients annually, enabling them to identify the most pressing challenges in medicine and provide excellent care.
    Clinical Needs Clinicians and researchers form interdisciplinary teams to address their needs and clinical challenges.
    Product Development Product development involves the design and piloting of a test product or process within a cGMP or other controlled environment.
    Exploratory Research Our teams of clinicians, researchers and collaborators from around the world have access to a full suite of technology to enable the discovery process.
    Clinical Trials Teams have access to early phase trial support, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics support and outpatient clinical care and study management services, including research, nursing, regulatory submissions and budget management support for all phases of clinical trials.
    Preclinical Validation Research teams have access to dedicated Translational Research Initiative bridge funds to take the most promising discoveries into preclinical and early phase clinical development.
    Applied Research
    Applied research involves testing, evaluating and refining new materials, devices and systems or methods into a final lead experimental product or process with the intent to move into the product development stage.
    Product Development
    Product development involves the design and piloting of a test product or process within a cGMP or other controlled environment.
    Preclinical Validation
    Research teams have access to dedicated Translational Research Initiative bridge funds to take the most promising discoveries into preclinical and early phase clinical development.
    Clinical Trials & Studies
    Teams have access to early phase trial support, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics support and outpatient clinical care and study management services, including research, nursing, regulatory submissions and budget management support for all phases of clinical trials.
    Education & Implementation
    Interprofessional education programs employ the latest advances in simulation and implementation science to facilitate the safe and efficient adoption of new technologies as they are approved for clinical use.
    Quality & Safety
    As part of the systemwide goals for quality improvement and patient safety, we develop our education programs to incorporate high reliability organization principles and use team-based training approaches to maximize patient outcomes.
    Patient Care & Outcomes
    The Cycle begins and ends with the care of patients in our hospitals and clinics. Clinicians in our hospitals care for more than 2.2 million patients annually, enabling them to identify the most pressing challenges in medicine and provide excellent care.
    Clinical Needs
    Clinicians and researchers form interdisciplinary teams to address their needs and clinical challenges.
    Exploratory Research
    Our teams of clinicians, researchers, and collaborators from around the world have access to a full suite of technology to enable the discovery process.
    Invention
    Inventions that solve a problem have real world value and protectable intellectual property.
    Applied Research
    Applied research involves testing, evaluating and refining new materials, devices and systems or methods into a final lead experimental product or process with the intent to move into the product development stage.
    The process is catalyzed by a translational infrastructure that includes intellectual property and regulatory expertise, external partnerships, and funding mechanisms designed to transform patient care.
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