Three Pennsylvania leaders in medical research and health care have joined forces to conduct translational research focused on the most pressing concerns of its collective patient populations.

The Keystone Institute for Translational Medicine (KITM) based at Temple University, brings together Fox Chase Cancer Center, Geisinger Health System and Temple University School of Medicine to speed the transformation of basic science discoveries into better patient care.

The Institute will focus its investigations on the genetic and social causes of disease that disproportionately affect urban and rural Pennsylvanians, primarily lung disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity and specific cancers.

Together, the institutions serve among the most diverse patient populations in the country, creating a unique opportunity to contribute significantly to translational research discoveries.

“We are proud to be partnering with Fox Chase Cancer Center and Geisinger Health System, who will play key roles in the Keystone Institute for Translational Medicine at Temple University,” said Ann Weaver Hart, Temple University president. “KITM demonstrates Temple’s commitment to developing a robust infrastructure that enables world-class multidisciplinary research, innovative educational opportunities for our medical residents and Ph.D. students, and expansion of our community service initiatives.”

The Keystone Institute boasts world-class expertise in behavioral health, social psychology, social networking, information technology, medical informatics, health services research, and health outcomes research.

“These collective intellectual assets will allow us to translate discoveries to clinical practice in our areas of research strength that include autoimmune diseases, pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular disease and thrombosis, obesity, cancer, and drugs of abuse,” said Richard Coico, Ph.D., senior associate dean for research at the School of Medicine and KITM program director.

“The establishment of the Keystone Institute for Translational Medicine is a natural evolution of our growing alliances with Fox Chase Cancer Center and Geisinger Health System,” said John M. Daly, M.D., dean of Temple University School of Medicine.

“Members of these preeminent institutions have been working diligently with faculty at our School of Medicine and other Temple Schools and Colleges in creating new and emerging educational and research initiatives including mechanisms to support pilot projects in translational research,” said Daly.

“KITM will be the academic home for our scientists, academic physician scientists, and students,” added Daly. “Given its supportive infrastructure, they will all have access to cutting-edge medical informatics tools, bioresources, and innovative educational opportunities to enable them to move discoveries from bench to bedside and ultimately to our communities.”

“We are excited to participate in The Keystone Institute for Translational Medicine,” said J. Robert Beck, M.D., Fox Chase Cancer Center’s senior vice president and chief academic officer. “Fox Chase Cancer Center has strong traditions in basic biomedical research, population science, and clinical trials in oncology. The Institute offers an opportunity to bridge these areas with outstanding partners to complete the cycle of bench-to-bedside-to-bench in many areas of medicine and among the diverse populations we all serve.”

A special feature of the Institute is its virtual nature, which will enhance the collaboration through a social network, much like Facebook, thereby erasing the physical boundaries that separate Temple and Fox Chase researchers in Philadelphia and those at Geisinger Health System in Danville.

The three institutions are jointly pursuing a place within the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) consortium, a network of medical research institutions across the nation.

In 2006, Temple was awarded the National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science Planning Grant, which helps prepare institutions to become full-fledged CTSAs. Support from this grant has led to the master’s program in Clinical Research and Translational Sciences, as well as the training and education of faculty in translational science research.

To strengthen its achievements, an overarching goal of the Keystone Institute will be to make patient participation in research more a routine part of health care and treatment. One such project already underway in urban Philadelphia and rural Danville is investigating the power of churches as a base for weight loss support groups.

“This collaboration allows us to move beyond standard clinical and research practices to play a large role in moving knowledge from the bench to the bedside,” said Glenn D. Steele, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Geisinger Health System. “The synergy is expected to lead to major new therapies that can be safely and efficiently delivered to a broader healthcare market.”

About Fox Chase

Fox Chase Cancer Center, one of the leading cancer research and treatments centers in the United States, conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and community outreach.

About Geisinger Health System

Geisinger Health System, based in Danville, PA, is one of the nation's leading fully integrated healthcare providers serving more than 2.5 million residents throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania. With a 720-member group practice, Geisinger includes two regional medical centers, a not-for-profit health insurance company, and a systemwide commitment to research. A leader in the nation's electronic health record movement, Geisinger's research strengths include population medicine, genomic medicine, translational and clinical investigations in cardiology, obesity, oncology and rheumatology, as well as an overall commitment to creating innovative new models for patient care, patient engagement, and clinical outcomes.

About Temple University School of Medicine

One of the region’s leading academic medical centers, Temple has a long-standing commitment to the healthcare of the surrounding community as well as patients coming far and wide for specialty care. The faculty at Temple School of Medicine’s Basic and Clinical Departments are committed to collaborative research and training endeavors that will enable them to meaningfully contribute to the NIH roadmap initiative in clinical and translational science with efforts focused on investigations of autoimmune diseases; cardiovascular disease; neurologic diseases with viral etiologies; substance abuse; obesity and diabetes; cancer and molecular biology; thrombosis and pulmonary disease; and health disparities.