Center For Translational Research and Education
From the lab to the patient
The Center for Translational Research and Education (CTRE) is a vibrant new addition to Loyola’s Health Sciences Campus. This state-of-the-art facility brings together the Stritch School of Medicine, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, The Graduate School, and Loyola University Health System on an exciting cooperative journey with one unified goal—the rapid translation of fundamental science discoveries into real treatments for human health.
Inside the Center for Translational Research
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1 AUDITORIUM 265-seat auditorium will be home to University events, community forums, lectures, and more. State-of-the-art acoustics and lighting also make it an ideal location to host other events and seminars.
2 90-SEAT CLASSROOM This large classroom provides ample room for collaborative learning, large lectures and seminars, and guest speakers.
ON THIS FLOOR Oncology has dedicated researchers committed to the discovery of the causes of cancer. They’re examining signal transduction and experimental therapeutics, tumor immunology and immunotherapy, gene regulation and epigenetics, and stem cell biology.
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1 CANCER CENTER BRIDGE This bridge connects the research building with the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, bringing physicians and researchers together to provide top-notch translational research and patient care.
2 ATRIUM The two-story atrium promotes interaction and collaboration between scientists and researchers who may not typically cross paths. This space also provides room for studying, impromptu meetings, and lunch breaks.
ON THIS FLOOR Infectious Disease and Immunology researchers are a uniquely integrated scientific community for researchers that study bacterial/viral diseases, host-pathogen interactions, cellular immunology, inflammation, immune response to injury, hematology/oncology, and transplantation.
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1 WET LAB SPACE These are traditional lab spaces used for conducting experiments with chemicals, drugs, and other biological materials. The labs are open and allow for collaboration between scientists.
2 DRY LAB SPACE Dry lab spaces are used mostly for creating computer-generated models and statistics and used to analyze biological data. Our Public Health Sciences department utilizes many of these labs.
ON THIS FLOOR Infectious Disease and Immunology researchers are a uniquely integrated scientific community for researchers that study bacterial/viral diseases, host-pathogen interactions, cellular immunology, inflammation, immune response to injury, hematology/oncology, and transplantation. The Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing researchers focus on social context, stress, and epigenetic determinants of health, health disparities, prevention and self-management of chronic diseases, and optimizing outcomes in education and practice. Burn and Shock Trauma consists of a unique community of scientists and clinicians devoted to the study of traumatic injury. Programs include both clinical and laboratory research relevant to trauma injury and burns.
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1 ATRIUM The two-story atrium promotes interaction and collaboration between scientists and researchers who may not typically cross paths. This space also provides room for studying, impromptu meetings, and lunch breaks.
ON THIS FLOOR Cardiovascular researchers facilitate high-impact, collaborative research across a wide spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical research in areas such as heart failure, cardiac proteins, blood clotting, and more. Public Health Sciences is dedicated to reducing the global burden of disease, improving international health, and decreasing health disparities due to racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, environmental, and other factors.
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1 WET LAB SPACE These are traditional lab spaces used for conducting experiments with chemicals, drugs, and other biological materials. The labs are open and allow for collaboration between scientists.
2 DRY LAB SPACE Dry lab spaces are used mostly for creating computer-generated models and statistics and used to analyze biological data. Our Public Health Sciences department utilizes many of these labs.
ON THIS FLOOR Cardiovascular researchers facilitate high-impact, collaborative research across a wide spectrum of basic, translational, and clinical research in areas such as heart failure, cardiac proteins, blood clotting, and more. Public Health Sciences is dedicated to reducing the global burden of disease, improving international health, and decreasing health disparities due to racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, environmental, and other factors.
FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH is the process of turning lab discoveries into tangible and effective interventions that can eventually be used on patients as better diagnostic tools, drugs, behavioral interventions, prevention tactics, or medical procedures.
See how one Loyola researcher's work could go from his lab to a patient in need. Saverio Gentile, PhD, is looking to develop a novel anticancer strategy and bring new anti-cancer drugs into the growing field of personalized medicine, where the treatment is tailored to a patient’s individual line of cancer cells.
Target practice
Saverio Gentile, PhD, has targeted ion channels on cancer cells, which convert chemical or mechanical messages into electrical signals. Stimulating these ion channels appears to stop breast and ovarian cancer cell growth and metastasis.
PRE-CLINICAL RESEARCH
LAB BREAKTHROUGHS, particularly new drug treatments, must be tested to see if a new compound is safe or feasible to start testing on humans. The two types of pre-clinical research are In Vitro (petri dish or test tube experiments) and In Vivo (animal testing). This research also helps determine dosing and toxicity levels.
Under the microscope
To stimulate these ion channels, Dr. Gentile is using drugs already approved by the FDA. His lab is testing different cancer cell lines to see which ones will respond to the ion-stimulating drugs. The drug has been shown to induce DNA-damage in cancer cells specifically while leaving healthy cells alone, which reduces the amount of drug needed and improves quality of life for the patient (by reducing the drug-dependent adverse effects).
CLINICAL RESEARCH
HUMAN SUBJECTS are brought in to test the safety and effectiveness of therapeutics. They also test the success of interventional or prevention work, such as a certain diet for a patient with chronic kidney disease or a new DNA screening test for colon cancer. This is typically the last step before approval from a federal regulatory body.
Testing patient success
Saverio Gentile, PhD, has targeted ion channels on cancer cells, which convert chemical or mechanical messages into electrical signals. Stimulating these ion channels appears to stop breast and ovarian cancer cell growth and metastasis.
CLINICAL IMPLEMENTATION
THIS OCCURS WHEN THE LAB DICOVERY is now approved for use on any patient who may benefit from it. This means it is now a drug being prescribed, a screening test being used in a clinic or a prevention method being recommended by doctors. Data is also collected to determine effectiveness in an even bigger and more varied population.
Ready for the prescription pad
Patients will get their tumors tested and analyzed to determine the presence of specific ion channels. If it’s one of the lines that responds to the ion channel stimulating drugs, then the patient will receive the drug as part of their treatment. Since the drug is already FDA-approved, this can shorten the time between clinical research and implementation.
PUBLIC HEALTH
TO INSURE RESEARCHERS are working on developing drugs and interventions for the most pressing public health needs. Public health researchers, housed next door to our basic lab scientists, study health outcomes to determine the effects of diseases and how our current prevention, diagnostic, and intervention methods are working.
Making it personal
This treatment would be a prime example of personalized medicine, where a person’s treatment is tailored to the exact type of disease they have, down to the cellular structure. This can shorten treatment length and improve a patient’s quality of life. Repurposing an existing drug can also help keep the cost down.
By the numbers
40+
National Institutes of Health funded research in Loyola’s Health Sciences campus
500+
Faculty, staff, and students collaborate in the building
+40%
Increased productivity due to floor plan
Meet our scientists
The work being done inside the Center for Translational Research and Education is poised to have a profound effect on patients. Here’s what Loyola researchers are working on.
Alan Wolfe, PhD
Professor
Research from a former Loyola Faculty Member of the Year awardee challenges the common belief that urine is sterile.
Katherine Knight, PhD
Professor and Chair
The chair of the department of microbiology and immunology is helping students develop their scientific minds.
Gopal Gupta, MD
Associate Professor
Quinlan School of Business and the Stritch School of Medicine recently studied the impact of price when patients need to choose between different cancer detection procedures.
Amelia Bumsted
DNP graduate
While research scholarship was once considered a field apart from the practical study of nursing, Niehoff students, like Amelia Bumsted, demonstrate it’s centrality in the evolving world of health care.
FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE
TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH is the process of turning lab discoveries into tangible and effective interventions that can eventually be used on patients as better diagnostic tools, drugs, behavioral interventions, prevention tactics, or medical procedures.
See how one Loyola researcher's work could go from his lab to a patient in need. Saverio Gentile, PhD, is looking to develop a novel anticancer strategy and bring new anti-cancer drugs into the growing field of personalized medicine, where the treatment is tailored to a patient’s individual line of cancer cells.
BASIC SCIENCE
DISCOVERIES of fundamental mechanisms behind diseases or behavior are usually found in a lab. This is work being done by those in our cardiovascular, neuroscience, physiology, and other departments in the Center for Translational Research and Education.
PRE-CLINICAL RESEARCH
LAB BREAKTHROUGHS, particularly new drug treatments, must be tested to see if a new compound is safe or feasible to start testing on humans. The two types of pre-clinical research are In Vitro (petri dish or test tube experiments) and In Vivo (animal testing). This research also helps determine dosing and toxicity levels.
CLINICAL RESEARCH
HUMAN SUBJECTS are brought in to test the safety and effectiveness of therapeutics. They also test the success of interventional or prevention work, such as a certain diet for a patient with chronic kidney disease or a new DNA screening test for colon cancer. This is typically the last step before approval from a federal regulatory body.
CLINICAL IMPLEMENTATION
THIS OCCURS WHEN THE LAB DICOVERY is now approved for use on any patient who may benefit from it. This means it is now a drug being prescribed, a screening test being used in a clinic or a prevention method being recommended by doctors. Data is also collected to determine effectiveness in an even bigger and more varied population.
PUBLIC HEALTH
TO INSURE RESEARCHERS are working on developing drugs and interventions for the most pressing public health needs. Public health researchers, housed next door to our basic lab scientists, study health outcomes to determine the effects of diseases and how our current prevention, diagnostic, and intervention methods are working.