Making Spokane a Medical Research Center

Dr. Katherine Tuttle, medical and scientific director of Provi­dence Medical Research Center here, says the center is on its way to becoming a full-fledged research institute, a path she says will help Spokane attract sought-after medical and research talent and will help Sacred Heart Medical Center emerge as a training hospital.

What will make Providence Medical Research a research institute within the next decade is the ability to conduct what’s called “translational” research, Tuttle says. Translational research connects basic research with clinical trials in a continuum, from cellular research on disease to trials in which medications are used on animals to clinical trials on humans, Tuttle says. Such a continuum can spark additional basic research, creating a rich research environment, she says.

Currently, the center is involved in about 300 different research studies, ranging from sleep studies to orthopedic studies. Most of those are clinical studies, a few involve basic research, and some are considered humanitarian studies of specialized therapies because they address less common diseases.

By Jeanne Gustafson

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