Interdisciplinary and collaborative research is a critical part of CTM to improve the understanding of CTM researchers' needs and build useful and useable supporting and comprehensive systems. Collaborations could narrow down the available design choices for assisting CTM researchers and identify potential deficiencies of well-known theoretical frameworks used. Dr. Robert M. Califf, Vice Chancellor for Clinical and Translational Research, Duke University, addressed the Rationale for Key Elements of Sino-American Collaboration in Clinical Research. Health improvements seen both for individuals and populations are fully dependent upon the quality of validation of new scientific discoveries within the CTM research continuum and strong evidence of benefits and risks associated with therapeutic interventions. However, there is still a massive shortage of evidence to support decisions about health and healthcare. Less than 15% of major medical decisions are supported by high-quality evidence[15], due to the limit of geography and access to expertise during clinical investigation. International collaboration, registration of all trials and a focus on the most important human research were suggested as critical factors to close such gap.
Multinational studies are required and developed to generate evidence of CTM relevant to particular biological and cultural contexts[16], on basis of genetic and practical environments in diseases. The investigation of diseases and development of treatments does not abide by national boundaries owing to modern informatics and information technology. These new capabilities expand the concept of human biomedical research from an activity conducted in a limited number of specialized centers to a global activity accessible to all patient populations and qualified practitioners[17]. With appropriate informatics support, shared protocols, and facilitative cultural elements, common diseases can be studied on a larger scale and clinical trials in rare diseases will be able to accrue adequate sample sizes. Dr. Califf demonstrated that the number of qualified individuals in the CTM workforce and broad-scale collaboration will determine the limits on knowledge generation. In order to better capitalize on novel technological advances in promoting collaborations, five key programs specific to clinical and translational research, including clinical research training, epidemiology and global health, biostatistics, medical informatics, and health sector management, will need to train and educate a vast workforce over the coming decade.
In conclusion, health systems globally face challenges and opportunities in balancing quality, access, and cost, where CTM should play more important and powerful roles in the identification, development and validation of solutions and strategies. High throughput technologies applied in clinical research can reveal causes of specific diseases. Putting major emphasis on personalized healthcare approaches is one of efficient ways for pharmaceuticals to promote drug discovery and development. With a vast number of qualified individuals in the clinical and translational research workforce, strategic collaboration can gather global strengths and resources and improve health systems, care delivery, regulations and policies. CTM-driven innovation and development has the potential to achieve step-change improvements across three dimensions, as explained in Figure1. Thus, we have the reasons to believe that CTM will play even more roles in the development of new diagnostics, therapies, healthcare, and policies and SAS-CTM will become more and more important platform to obtain the latest development in CTM internationally and explore new opportunities in the international collaborations.