Journal of Translational Medicine Information

Journal of Translational Medicine is an open access, peer-reviewed online journal focussing on information derived from human experimentation so as to optimise the communication between basic and clinical science. Journal of Translational Medicine aims to improve the communication between basic and clinical science so that more therapeutic insights may be derived from new scientific ideas - and vice versa. Translation research goes from bench to bedside, where theories emerging from preclinical experimentation are tested on disease-affected human subjects, and from bedside to bench, where information obtained from preliminary human experimentation can be used to refine our understanding of the biological principles underpinning the heterogeneity of human disease and polymorphism(s). The former direction has received much attention, usually through exploratory clinical studies referred to as "phase 1" trials. The latter, however, has been largely ignored. The outcomes of clinical trials are usually poor and experimenters are encouraged not to publish, believing that journals are less likely to publish "negative" results. Consequently most of this "transitional information" remains hidden from the wider research community. Results of a clinical study originating from a sound scientific rationale should be considered equally important, whether negative or positive, for two broad reasons:knowledge of negative results will discourage researchers from publishing a similar studyimportant biological information could offer important insights into the reasons for failure and suggest remedies. Against this backdrop, translation research has gained popularity, fuelled by the lack of significant progress in the treatment of cardiovascular, infectious, autoimmune and degenerative pathology, as well as cancer. Journal of Translational Medicine therefore aims to provide a home for this information.