title: Overcoming the translational roadblocks: a cancer care and research model.
abstract: There are many challenges to the process of translating the knowledge gained in the laboratory into new clinical approaches that can meet the needs of patients, clinicians and the wider community. We describe here an initiative that has borrowed concepts and principles from participatory research to produce a new process embedded in a cancer center aiming to facilitate translational research and overcome the three translational roadblocks. The centre-wide project named Personal Response Determinants in Cancer Therapy (PREDICT) operates with the support of the centre's leadership, staff, volunteers and patients to contribute to current and future cancer research successes. We describe the different phases of the project, the current structure and lessons learned during its evolution, highlighting how PREDICT contributes to translational research and its linkage to participatory research concepts. Despite the contextualized nature of the PREDICT initiative, we believe that the framework developed for the project has the potential to help other clinical centers to overcome the translational research roadblocks.
authors.affiliation: Vancouver Island Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 2410 Lee Avenue, Victoria, BC V8R 6 V5, Canada.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.affiliation: Vancouver Island Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 2410 Lee Avenue, Victoria, BC V8R 6 V5, Canada.
authors.forename: Helena Ml
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Daudt
authors.affiliation: Vancouver Island Centre, BC Cancer Agency, 2410 Lee Avenue, Victoria, BC V8R 6 V5, Canada.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Watson
keywords: Multidisciplinary; Participatory research; Roadblocks; Translational research