From bench to bedside

‘Cystic kidney disease is the most common genetic cause of loss of kidney function. In Germany alone, around 80,000 people suffer from this illness,’ says Professor Dr Roman-Ulrich Müller. Before recently relocating to Düsseldorf, Müller worked as professor of Translational Nephrology in Cologne until the end of 2025, and continues to serve as a principal investigator at the CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research. As spokesperson for the Centre for Rare and Hereditary Kidney Diseases, he not only researches the causes of the disease and its progression, but also conducts clinical trials at University Hospital Cologne to develop therapies for affected patients. His conclusion: ”Research into new drugs must be translated into therapies much faster than before.”

A science news video in which Roman-Ulrich Müller explains the benefits of a ketogenic diet for polycystic kidney disease

At the CECAD Cluster of Excellence, many of the research groups are not only concerned with finding the causes of aging. They also want to translate key findings from basic medical and biological research into clinical practice. CECAD has set up its own translational infrastructure for this purpose. Translational medicine is the transfer of the latest scientific findings from the laboratory to the patient: ‘from bench to bedside’, as the medical profession calls it.

However, the reality is even more complex. Physicians across Germany are complaining about a lack of staff and infrastructure at every level. At the same time, they are under cost pressure. New therapies also lead to new, labour-intensive requirements for reimbursement, implementation, documentation, liability, and data protection. New digital applications must be evaluated and regulated by law. The human factor also plays a role. Those involved in research, quality assurance, authorities, IT, nursing, and medical services do not always work hand in hand. 

Bringing knowledge and funds into the system 

All things considered, it usually takes at least ten to fifteen years for a promising active ingredient or a new procedure to reach medical practice. The translation platform in Cologne cannot move mountains, but it can try to remove obstacles along the way. Dr Cornely, for example, advocates for accelerating funding approval for clinical trials. Moreover, in the case of international collaborations, conditions imposed by funding institutions should not prevent the best consortium from being formed. Another critical issue is legal matters. CECAD therefore always provides researchers with the latest information through seminars and databases. This may include information on criminal liability risks associated with animal testing as well as national and international regulations governing clinical trials.

Oliver Cornely, for example, advocates for practical data protection: ”For patients, data protection combined with the desire for absolute legal certainty is a burden.” The nature of the study can be explained in a matter of minutes. If a person then expresses an interest in participating, they are presented with roughly thirty to fifty pages of documentation to sign. Much of this covers legal matters, but not the nature of the study. Cornely has little patience for this: “My patients are seriously ill, and time is of the essence.”

To speed up the journey from basic research to patient care, kidney specialist Dr Müller is campaigning for better-regulated collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical companies calculate every penny. “Commercial enterprises fail to ask themselves: What is the greatest medical benefit of a new drug? They ask themselves: Is this a profitable business case for us?” says Müller, describing the conflict of interest between medicine and business. 

Something else that baffles medical researchers is that many manufacturers are unwilling to produce even the small quantities of drugs required for a study. The academic sector, on the other hand, lacks this expertise. “It would be enough if the industry simply said: ‘You medical professionals conduct the study and we’ll supply you with the drug free of charge,’” says Müller, appealing to the concept of the common good. For this to happen, however, there must be clear direction from the regulatory authorities in order to define when and in what form the industry supports academic studies.