A comment on an article about childhood cancer. Please, please bear in mind that the ACS gives approximately ONE PERCENT of their funds to childhood cancer research. They are not going to be the answer. As a biomedical researcher, I can tell you that great strides are being made in understanding various cancers, but the road from understanding mechanisms to developing treatments can be long. The greatest barrier right now is money. None of the older researchers I have spoken to can remember a time when it has been harder to get research money. Scientists, especially young scientists, are being forced out of research because they cannot find jobs or cannot get tenure. At most universities, bringing in large amounts of grant money is the sole criteria for being granted tenure. Teaching doesnt matter, nor does the quality of ones work. These are intelligent, highly trained individuals who have made huge monetary sacrifices in order to try to cure diseases. Many people assume that pharmaceutical companies are primarily responsible for developing treatments. Without basic research to identify new drug targets, pharmaceutical companies would not be able to do anything. Progress is made at universities. People also think that organizations like Susan G. Komen or the American Cancer society can take the place of government money. The ACS definitely supports basic cancer research, but the grants tend to be small and are extremely hard to get. Many foundations only support clinical trials or give patient support. Those are no doubt worthy, but its like grooming a dogs tail while the rest of the dog starves. Please lobby Congress to increase NIH funding. Its truly the only way to move biomedical science forward. cnn/2014/09/01/health/childhood-cancer-awareness/index.html?hpt=he_c1
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 16:08:43 +0000
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