The South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute secures $26.5 million to expand clinical research

New funding will clear the way for the translation of research breakthroughs into clinics and rural communities across South Carolina

CHARLESTON, S.C. (May 29 2025) – The South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute (SCTR), a statewide initiative that provides consultative expertise, resources, training and funding to support research teams, has been awarded $26.5 million in grant funding over the next seven years from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program at the National Institutes of Health.

SCTR has been a CTSA hub since 2009, one of over 60 in the nation. Over the past 16 years, it has built a robust research infrastructure, trained MUSC’s and South Carolina’s clinical research workforce and introduced clinical trial and bioinformatics innovations adopted by CTSAs across the country.

“Receiving this award underscores the power of collaboration and innovation across South Carolina’s research community,” said MUSC Vice President for Research Timothy Stemmler, Ph.D. “By expanding access to clinical trials and accelerating the translation of scientific discoveries into real-world solutions, SCTR is ensuring that every South Carolinian can benefit from the latest advances in health care. This investment will strengthen our state’s research infrastructure and serve as a model for advancing health nationwide. The dedication of the SCTR team exemplifies the transformative role academic medicine plays in shaping a healthier future for all.” 

The NCATS funding will be used to overcome barriers that slow the translation of scientific discoveries to clinical practice; improve access to clinical trials and evidence-based therapies for South Carolinians, especially those residing in rural areas; and build a robust, translational research workforce statewide. 

To achieve these goals, SCTR will collaborate closely with the University of South Carolina (USC), well-known for its expertise in public health and community-engaged research, and South Carolina State University (SCSU), recognized for strong accomplishments in training undergraduates in science, technology, engineering and math fields. 

“This award is a testament to what has been accomplished by this very talented team. We are building on our previous successes and expanding our reach in translational science,” said Patrick A. Flume, M.D., the Powers-Huggins Endowed Chair for Cystic Fibrosis and one of the SCTR co-directors. 

Kathleen T. Brady, M.D., Ph.D., founder and co-director of SCTR, echoed Flume’s sentiments. “SCTR has been the backbone of research support, acceleration and innovation for the past 15 years,” said the Distinguished University Professor. “This seven-year award will allow SCTR to continue to grow, develop and innovate in research for MUSC.”

SCTR will focus more of its resources on addressing bottlenecks that lead to failed clinical trials and delay new evidence-based therapies from reaching the patients who need them. This “translational science” approach focuses on overcoming these obstacles so that a solution will have a more widespread impact nationally. The new SCTR Research Innovations Promoting Translation (SCRIPT) program is intended to fund projects that show strong promise in addressing these challenges.

SCTR will focus especially on research roadblocks common in rural Southern states, such as limited access to clinical trials and slow adoption of evidence-based innovations by community members and their providers. SCTR will grow the clinical research footprint in South Carolina by supporting research throughout MUSC Health’s Regional Health Network (RHN). With funding from The Duke Endowment, SCTR has already established research centers at two RHN hospitals, MUSC Health Florence  and Lancaster medical centers, and is working with research teams to grow clinical trials in the MUSC Health-Midlands Division and at MUSC Health-Orangeburg. These research centers will enable community members to join clinical trials closer to home. 

Since 2009, SCTR has established an impressive track record of building bridges between researchers and community members through its Community Engaged Scholars program. The collaboration with USC will further extend the reach of SCTR community-based initiatives. And, with this award, SCTR will also work to build the translational research workforce of tomorrow through its collaboration with SCSU, inviting two interns each summer to embed with clinical research coordinators to gain invaluable experience in how clinical trials are designed, carried out and managed. 

SCTR will share its successes with the broader CTSA consortium so that hubs in other rural states can implement these strategies as well. “The challenges in clinical research that we face are not unique to South Carolina,” said Flume. “As we learn more about how to clear hurdles, getting research opportunities to everyone in the state, we will share this new knowledge with the rest of the country.”

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About MUSC 

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates over 3,100 students in six colleges and trains 950+ residents and fellows across its health system. MUSC leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health and research funding. For information on our academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. In 2024, for the 10th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $7.1 billion. The 31,000 MUSC members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.