Roswell Park's creation of a top-level position to promote and direct translational research signaled the Institute’s growing emphasis on this highly innovative and productive strategy.

Translational research transfers discoveries made in the laboratory to clinical settings focusing on therapy, genetics, detection or diagnosis, and, conversely, takes clinical observations into the lab for biological study.

This interdisciplinary approach opens new paths of inquiry and makes new connections between ideas, expanding prospects for the development of novel molecular assays, imaging techniques, drugs and biological agents. Because all aspects of the cycle of innovation are tightly integrated at RPCI, translation occurs quickly.