UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science awarded $33.9 million NIH grant for patient-focused research

The University of Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science has received a $33.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to improve how medical discoveries are translated into patient care, the university announced Tuesday. The funding is intended to strengthen clinical research infrastructure and support studies designed to move findings from the lab to real-world treatment for patients.

According to UK and local reporting, the grant includes work that will target hepatitis C in rural communities. The project will involve study efforts in four rural counties, where researchers plan to examine how care pathways and access to treatment can be improved for people affected by the disease.

Clinical and translational science centers funded by NIH typically focus on shortening the time between new knowledge and its use in clinical settings. The grant is designed to support activities such as recruiting and managing participants for studies, developing research methods, and building partnerships that help ensure evidence can be applied in community healthcare settings.

The hepatitis C component is framed as part of a broader push to address gaps that often show up in rural healthcare delivery. By focusing on counties where health resources and specialty care may be harder to access, the study aims to generate practical information about how patients in those communities can connect to testing, follow-up, and treatment.