Novel Biosensor Uses DNA ‘Barcodes’ to Uncover Disease Signals in Cells
Inspired by bacterial biology, the Gladstone-developed “Detectron” opens up new possibilities for disease research and potentially treatments.
Center for Translational Advancement
The pipeline of drug discovery is lengthy and costly. The Gladstone Center for Translational Advancement was created in 2017 to find new uses for existing drugs to treat unsolved diseases.
By repurposing FDA-approved drugs, which have already passed safety tests, the center hopes to drastically lower the cost and shorten the timeline of drug development, helping bring treatments to patients more quickly.
The Center Has Three Major Goals
- Build a drug repositioning database which details the effects of up to 15,000 compounds on human cells.
- Establish infrastructure to test repurposed drugs in cell culture and animal models for potency, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic studies.
- Promote human clinical trials of repurposed drugs, in collaboration with medical centers like UC San Francisco, and pharmaceutical companies in the US and abroad.
Headed by Senior Investigator Yadong Huang, MD, PhD, the center provides crucial resources to repurpose drugs into treatments for diseases of the central nervous system, the heart, and the immune system. The center aims to accelerate the conversion of basic research findings into efficient clinical candidates and, ultimately, medical applications.
The center collaborates with the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Tsinghua University in Beijing, which has well-established drug discovery and translational platforms.
Director
Support Discovery Science
Your gift to Gladstone will allow our researchers to pursue high-quality science, focus on disease, and train the next generation of scientific thought leaders.
DONATE NOWLatest News
Read
Meet Gladstone: Ayush Midha
Ayush Midha, a graduate student in the Jain Lab, studies how the body's metabolism adapts to low oxygen—work that's uncovered backup energy pathways, potential fertility treatments, and a link between oxygen levels and tumor growth.
Read
How a Single Viral Protein Hijacks Immune Cells to Supercharge COVID-19 Infection
A new discovery reveals how a SARS-CoV-2 protein reprograms immune cells to accelerate viral spread—and points to a new strategy for therapeutic intervention.
Read
Rethinking ‘Exhausted’ T Cells: Gilbert Herrera Named Inaugural Ellen & Bernard Marson Fellow
The fellowship provides three years of funding for graduate students pursuing groundbreaking immunology research.
Read
The 2026 Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize Awarded to Jun Takahashi
Takahashi is recognized for his pioneering work translating iPS cell technology into a clinically approved therapy for Parkinson’s disease.
Get Involved
Join the Team
Our people are our most important asset. We offer a wide array of career opportunities both in our administrative offices and in our labs.
Open PositionsPartner With Us
Discoveries don’t stay in our labs. Gladstone facilitates spinout companies to advance promising therapies, shortening the path between scientific discovery and helping real patients.
Learn MoreGive
Your gift to Gladstone will allow our researchers to pursue high-quality science, focus on disease, and train the next generation of scientific thought leaders.
Donate Now