Brown Institute for Translational Science

The Brown Institute for Translational Science (BITS) harnesses the potential of clinical partnerships and the state of Rhode Island’s unique demography to accelerate scientific discovery.

The Brown Institute for Translational Science (BITS) provides an infrastructure that builds on strengths while expanding our capabilities for translational science. It is composed of horizontally integrated research teams that allows scientists and clinicians to work together along a common continuum. Many kinds of integrating continuums are possible: focusing on a disease, a biologic pathway, an investigative approach, or a problem in society (such as asthma or aging).

So far, research centers have been formed in the following areas:

  • Biology of aging
  • Cancer biology
  • Vaccine biology
  • Translational neuroscience
  • Respiratory disease
  • Animal alternatives in testing

In these teams basic scientists make lab or data-based (computational) discoveries and then work with master clinicians and physician-scientists to evaluate the importance of their findings in well-characterized patient populations. These investigators also work with faculty in other parts of Brown, such as the School of Engineering, the School of Public Health and the Watson Institute, to foster and evaluate the impact of these findings on patients, populations, and policy. They will also work with experts in commercialization to address ways this knowledge can be used to generate commercial products for patients and companies that augment our regional economy.

Learn more about BITS