As a histologist, you’re already thinking about the bench to bedside pipeline because you know that the work you do every day will ultimately have an impact on patients down the line. But if you’re not conducting histology research, you may not know that the pipeline is actually longer than you may think.
Christine Duris, BS, HTL(ASCP), QIHC(ASCP), Program Manager for the Children’s Research Institute Histology Core at the Medical College of Wisconsin, provides a look at this pipeline and what happens at every stop in the NSH webinar Tribulation to Triumph: An Inside Look at Research Histology. The stages of histology research that Duris discusses are:
Basic Science
Basic science, which is also known as bench science or proof of mechanisms, is designed to provide an understanding of the human condition and environment as it exists. This stage looks at different targets and is concerned with the fundamental mechanisms of biology, pathway systems, signaling receptors, and gene mapping.
During this stage, researchers are working with rodent models and there are no humans involved. Although it doesn’t have a connection to the bedside, basic science does lay the groundwork for further discoveries that will.
“There is not an immediate or obvious benefit to human health at this stage—and interestingly, 95 percent of basic research will not result in a benefit to humans—but hopefully throughout this process, we've learned something,” Duris explained.
Preclinical Research
During preclinical research, humans become part of the picture and what an intervention will mean during patient care is the focus.
“The goal of preclinical research is to identify and analyze the effects of an intervention, or relationship on the human condition or environment. This is going to connect the science of disease with human medicine,” said Duris. “We like to think of this as proof of concept, where before we had proof of mechanism.”
Clinical Research
At this stage, researchers strive to identify and analyze the optimal effects of an intervention, or relationship on the human condition or environment.
“This translates to patients, so we're relating the knowledge that we had from animal and cell studies into humans,” Duris said. “We're looking at clinical outcomes and we're looking at comparative effectiveness.”
Clinical Implementation
This stage translates into practice, so researchers are looking at the safety and effectiveness of an intervention. Clinical implementation includes behavioral and observational studies.
“When we're looking at clinical research and clinical implementation, we're starting to develop evidence-based guidelines,” said Duris.
Public Health
On the public health level, researchers are getting the full picture of the impact of an intervention.
“We’re looking at global communities with the goal being to provide global communities with interventions,” said Duris. “We're looking at real health outcomes within the population. When we get to this level, we're looking at population biology, we're looking at policies, and we're looking at ways to improve healthcare across the globe.”
Understanding the research pipeline in histology reveals how each stage, from basic science to public health, contributes to the ultimate goal of improving patient care and advancing global health outcomes. While basic science may seem disconnected from the bedside, it lays the foundation for discoveries that ripple through preclinical and clinical research, into practice, and eventually, to population-level interventions. By exploring this journey, you can better appreciate how your work as a histologist fits into the bigger picture and how the collective efforts of researchers across the pipeline transform knowledge into impactful, evidence-based healthcare solutions. For a deeper dive into this process, be sure to watch the Tribulation to Triumph: An Inside Look at Research Histology webinar and gain insight into the crucial questions and meticulous processes that drive histology research forward.
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