Translating basic science discoveries to clinical practice—Let us not repeat the naiveté of the pre-omics era

The genomics era has produced large data sets that have proved more difficult than anticipated to integrate into basic science/translational research, and even more so in clinical practice. Part of the challenge is that we saw the promise of more information without perceiving that this new data would not simply be applied or used in the same manner as in the past. Big Data has pushed us to develop strategies for integrating the classic bench research with information from bioinformatics and whole genome data in ways that will allow us to identify targets, develop and test therapeutic strategies, and integrate these strategies into general clinical practice. Successful translational strategies are emerging (1) with some aspects that are broadly applicable, although each clinical problem has its own challenges. Currently emerging strategies provide a foundation for what must continue to be a rapidly evolving process.