Translating Alcohol Research Into Practice

Antonio Noronha, Ph.D., is director of the Division of Neuroscience and Behavior, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, Maryland. Translational research helps move basic science and clinical laboratory discoveries toward application in health and medicine. Through controlled experiments, basic scientists use animal models to reproduce disease characteristics caused by an agent—in this case, excessively high exposure to alcohol. Through systematic study and observation, clinical research scientists identify symptomatic and physiological characteristics that define a disease. These bidirectional, complementary approaches enhance basic and practical knowledge about the biological basis of disease and hold promise for creating thoughtful, scientifically motivated solutions for improving public health. More than a decade ago, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognized the need for accelerating translation of research findings. In 2003, NIH developed the “Roadmap for Medical Research,” a collection of initiatives designed to find ways of motivating the translation of basic science into practice with the goal of transforming health care and outcomes. That vision was further crystallized in 2011 with the formation of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), which creates integrated translational and clinical research programs and fosters collaborations with community partners. NIH’s attention to translational research demonstrates its quest to bridge the laboratory–clinic divide. In this issue, we examine how current research in the alcohol field is setting the stage for translating clinical research findings to alleviate physical damage and restore neuropsychological function in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD).