The whole movement to bridge "the Valley of Death" between research in university laboratories and the development of commercial therapies by Pharma is embodied in the Cures Acceleration Network, or CAN. CAN is part of the health-care reform act, and it focuses additional medical research funding from basic research to translational, or targeted, research aimed at developing therapies which are far enough down the pipeline to attract investors in the private sector. CAN has the support of director of the National Institutes of Health, as well as many research institutions and disease and patient foundations.

You can read all about translational research and CAN on the Parkinson's Action Network website at the following link- http://tinyurl.com/3bp6msr.

Greg