Dementia and cancer are becoming increasingly prevalent in Western countries. In the last two decades, research focused on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cancer, in particular, breast cancer (BC) and prostate cancer (PC), has been substantially funded both in Europe and worldwide. While scientific research outcomes have contributed to increase our understanding of the disease etiopathology, still the prevalence of these chronic degenerative conditions remains very high across the globe. By definition, no model is perfect. In particular, animal models of AD, BC, and PC have been and still are traditionally used in basic/fundamental, translational, and preclinical research to study human disease mechanisms, identify new therapeutic targets, and develop new drugs. However, animals do not adequately model some essential features of human disease; therefore, they are often unable to pave the way to the development of drugs effective in human patients. The rise of new technological tools and models in life science, and the increasing need for multidisciplinary approaches have encouraged many interdisciplinary research initiatives. With considerable funds being invested in biomedical research, it is becoming pivotal to define and apply indicators to monitor the contribution to innovation and impact of funded research. Here, we discuss some of the issues underlying translational failure in AD, BC, and PC research, and describe how indicators could be applied to retrospectively measure outputs and impact of funded biomedical research.

Advances in 3D and other in vitro tissue model platforms have led to fundamental improvements in research on human disease, development of novel therapies, and safety testing. In addition, histological and cellular investigations of human tissues continue to serve as keystones in understanding disease and health processes. In recognition of the importance of human tissues in research, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine held a workshop. Working closely with key stakeholders from the research community, regulatory agencies, and organ procurement organizations, the goal was to explore, understand, and address the barriers to increased use of human organs, tissues, and cells in research. Workshop participants were tasked with identifying the challenges of accessing and qualifying tissues for research purposes and creating a strategy to help meet the needs of the research communities to increase the availability and quality of human tissues in biomedical and translational research. Break-out groups identified significant challenges in the areas of policy, scientific development, and public engagement with respect to the provision and application of tissues and cells for scientific advancement. Following working group recommendations, stakeholders concluded that there is a need to facilitate the availability and quality of human tissues for the research community, as well as provide a framework for education of the public, medical professionals, and researchers to foster donation and utilization for research in place of animal models. The success of these new initiatives will facilitate greater access to high-quality human tissues for biomedical and translational research and help ensure the transition away from the dependence on animal models.