In a one-on-one interview Biden told us, “It can eliminate any unintended roadblocks in the way to making science and research more difficult”.
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration named Richard Pazdur, who currently oversees reviews of cancer drugs for the agency, as acting director of a new Oncology Center of Excellence, which will handle approvals of cancer-related drugs, devices and biologics.
– A new program by the National Institutes of Health and several drug companies and philanthropies to develop and fund a new program for “pre-competitive” cancer research, in which the data would be shared. John Theurer Cancer Center provides comprehensive multidisciplinary care, state of the art technology, and access to clinical trials, compassionate care and medical expertise- all under one roof. The daylong summit is expected to draw researchers, oncologists, advocates, patients, and industry groups- all aimed at doubling the rate of progress toward a cure for cancer, the disease that kills nearly 600,000 Americans a year. In April, he traveled to Vatican City for a conference on breakthroughs in regenerative medicine. The federal government is spending $1 billion to try to send cancer to the moon.
Dr. Parda estimated Medicare fee-for-service members at 5 to 10 percent of AHN’s total number of cancer patients. The grant-writing process is extremely competitive and money is tight, he said. The resulting platform will accelerate the understanding of disease detection, progression, prevention and treatment by combining clinical, environmental and genomic data. Diagnostic tests and imaging technologies provide vital information that guides cancer diagnosis and treatment, while radiotherapies and surgical oncology tools provide life-saving cancer effective treatment and improve outcomes for people with cancer. One of the key discoveries in that effort is CRISPR/Cas9, a gene-editing technique pioneered by Jennifer Doudna, a UC Berkeley professor of molecular and cell biology and of chemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.
To illustrate what’s on the cutting edge, the Energy Department and the National Cancer Institute announced new programs to analyze cancer data with supercomputers, plus another computing program teaming up with drug maker GlaxoSmithKline to speed up drug development.
Yet in February, the mother of three was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer, which is in her bones, lymph nodes and breasts again. It’s doctors, patients together helping to find a cure. “I don’t have unlimited resources but I certainly know how to talk to my legislators and through ACS CAN, I’m letting them know about a multitude of public health issues”. He said every step felt heavier than the last. The new oncology care model is designed to enhance care while slowing rising costs.
“This isn’t about him, it’s not about a single person, it’s about us”, Biden said.
But the vice president’s experiences resonate with many, like comedian Carol Burnett who was the summit’s emcee. “What I can do, I’ll try to do”. Esserman led the UC breast cancer proposal, titled “OneSource”, a joint commitment from the UC Office of the President, UC Health, the Athena Breast Health Network, Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative and Salesforce.
– A revamping of information about cancer clinical trials by the NCI, working with the White House Presidential Innovation Fellows.
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