Title: Prognosis Research: A Strategic Initiative in Translational Pathways (PROGRESS)
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: Strategic importance Prognosis research should be a basic science for translational research, clinical practice, personalised medicine and, with increasing periods of the lifecourse lived with chronic disease, for public health. Prognosis research should complement and add value to MRC strategic aims, principally those relating to: genetics, biomarkers, wellbeing, translational research and exploitation of health records and population based data. But numerous systematic reviews across different disease areas suggest that there is a gap between the promise of prognosis research and its ability to deliver. Internationally there have been no initiatives bringing together prognosis research across early and late stages in translation, across different prognosis research questions, and across disease areas. In short, the field is fragmented. As a response to this we have developed a forthcoming series of 6 articles in BMJ/PloSMed which sets out a framework of prognosis research and makes recommendations. Aim: The aim of the PROGRESS Partnership is to critically develop and systematically apply concepts, methods and recommendations (from the initial PROGRESS article series and elsewhere) across different disease areas in order to enhance the translational impact of prognosis research. Partnership We will achieve this aim by establishing a new international consortium in translational prognosis research. Investigators in the Partnership (drawn from authors of the 6 article series) lead current prognosis research funding of #66m. With MRC support we will galvanise these resources with a Partnership across disease areas (cardiovascular, cancer, musculoskeletal, trauma and emergency medicine) and methodological disciplines (biostatistics, epidemiology, genetics, biomarkers, health services research). Partnership workstreams The Partnership will break new ground in delivering three inter-related, milestone-driven workstreams: I Enabling and underpinning activities, through targeted workshops we will advance methods development in stratified medicine, ?transparency? standards in prognostic models, strategic direction across new and existing prognostic cohorts and knowledge transfer. II New research on translational exemplars involving new knowledge syntheses in stratified medicine (field synopses and high resolution systematic reviews), and new prospective analyses in our Partnership cohorts and trials. We will exploit novel opportunities in coronary disease (cohort with DNA and deep phenotyping n=5000); cancer (new translational DNA, plasma and tissue bioresource cohort of head and neck cancer patients, n=5000), acute severe haemorrhage trials in trauma (n=20,000), post-partum haemorrhage (n=15,000); musculoskeletal disorders n=7000 patients with repeat measures over 7 years. III boosting capability through training developing future national and international leaders in prognosis research through taught courses, PhD studentships, and Fellowships.


Research activity codes: 2.6 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (AETIOLOGY);8.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (HEALTH SERVICES);4.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (DETECTION)
Health categories: MUSCULOSKELETAL;INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;CARDIOVASCULAR