Research Definitions

Basic Research

ASH considers basic research to include a broad spectrum of studies on genes, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, biochemical and signaling pathways, receptors, hematopoietic cells, and samples obtained from human patients or from preclinical animal models. In addition to subject matter, basic research takes many forms, be it “wet lab” experimental research as well as “dry lab” methods such as computational analysis and modeling, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and other studies of basic biological processes. For the purpose of this grant, hematology-related basic research is designed to further our understanding of the blood, bone marrow, lymphatic tissues, and related organs and/or the pathogenesis of blood disorders. The emphasis for grants in this category should be on the discovery of new knowledge in a traditional laboratory setting.

Translational Research

ASH defines translational research as using knowledge of human biology to develop and test the feasibility of relevant interventions in humans and/or to determine the biological basis for observations made in individuals with hematologic conditions or in populations at risk. Translational research should be founded on and directly connected to some aspect of human biology and may encompass any form of structural, biochemical, genetic, AI, machine learning, device development, or other appropriate experimental approaches using human materials. Clinical trials projects with laboratory correlatives are considered clinical research.

Clinical Research

ASH considers clinical research to include patient-oriented research and outcomes-based research. ASH emphasizes that clinical research must involve substantial interaction with patients and/or patient medical records.

Patient-Oriented Clinical Research

Patient-oriented research is defined as research conducted with human subjects and involves an investigator directly interacting with human subjects, their caregivers, or the medical system in which that care is given. Categories of patient-oriented research include mechanisms of human disease, treatments and their implementation, device development, clinical trials, prevention trials, and development of new technologies.

Outcomes-Based Research

Options for outcomes-based research include: a decision-analysis or cost-effectiveness analysis of a relevant topic within hematology; qualitative, survey-based or mixed methods research investigating practice patterns, access to care, quality of care, clinical outcomes, or quality of life among patients with hematologic conditions; retrospective analyses of large databases (e.g., Centers for Medicare & Medicaid [CMS], a large insurer, Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results [SEER], Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research [CIBMTR]) that may enlighten health care policy decisions related to hematologic disease; and large-scale epidemiologic or genetic epidemiologic studies that define the incidence, prevalence, prognosis, and natural history or the effects of therapy of blood disorders.