Bridging the Bed-Bench Gap

Since the 1970s there has been a serious gap between fundamental biological research and its clinical application. In response to this gap the Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust instituted the General Organizational Grants program, which funded two types of awards to provide training that would bridge the bed-bench gap. These training awards fell into two categories: (1) those that provided significant opportunities for M.D.s to engage in basic research during and immediately following medical school and residency, and (2) those that provided significant clinical exposure for Ph.D.s while they were predoctoral or postdoctoral students. These grants were intended to close the widening gap between rapid advances in our understanding of the biological process and the translation of that knowledge into techniques for preventing diseases. This report examines the General Organizational Grant programs, identifies best practices, and provides observations for future philanthropic funders. Table of Contents

• Front Matter
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• History of the Markey Trust
• Grant Programs
• Assessing the Markey General Organizational Grants Program
• The Biomedical Research Environment in the 1980s
• Closing the Bed-Bench Gap
• The Current Biomedical Research Environment
• Conclusions and Observations for Philanthropic Funders
• References
• Appendix A: Bridge Building Between Medicine and Basic Science
• Appendix B: The Endangered Physician-Scientist: Opportunities for Revialization Emerge
• Appendix C: Workshop on Training Programs in Patient-Oriented Pathobiology for Basic Scientists: Agenda
• Appendix D: Workshop on Training Programs in Patient-Oriented Pathobiology for Basic Scientists: Participants
• Appendix E: Descriptions of Programs Participating in the Workshop on Training Programs in Patient-Oriented Pathobiology for Basic Scientists
• Appendix F: Summary of Site Visits to Markey-Funded Programs that Provided Training in Basic Research to Physicians
• Appendix G: Biographies of Members of the Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust Programs in Biomedical Sciences Committee