 |
 |
|
 |
||
Print 
Download Reader 
|
|
|
|
||
Print Download Reader
 |
||||||
"The International Promise of Biotechnology"Thank you so very much, Dr. Michael Comer (Chairman, Irish BioIndustry Association), for those extremely kind words and for your leadership of the Association. And it's wonderful to see so many of you who I have met on previous journeys to your beautiful country. I'm especially pleased to see David O'Sullivan, executive Director of the U.S. chapter of the Ireland-U.S. Council for Commerce and Industry ... and Tom Mulcahy, chairman of Aer Lingus and President of the Ireland Chapter of the Council. You are true friends of mine, of Ireland and of America, and I'm proud to partner with you. Those of you here at the BioIreland 2002 conference are leaders in commerce, industry and biotechnology, but more than that, you are leaders in international friendship and partnership. And that leadership is rooted in a deep sense of compassion and an unswerving commitment to making life better for people here in Ireland and in the United States and all over the world. I thank you so very much for it. There is a strong American biotechnology presence here in Ireland. Companies like Wyeth Medica, Genzyme and GeneMedix are working with you in a very productive way. I appreciate the dynamic spirit of cooperation and partnership that exists between our two countries in this and in so many other areas. Coming to Ireland truly is, for me, like coming home. My ancestors came from Ireland. They ventured across an ocean and then halfway across a continent, making a home in a small town called Elroy, Wisconsin. But every time I say my name, I am reminded of my heritage, a heritage of which I am so proud and for which I am so deeply grateful. This is an important conference, and on behalf of President Bush and on my own behalf, I thank you for all you are doing to improve the quality of life through the amazing advances of biotechnology. The biotechnology era presents us with enormous challenges and tremendous opportunities. The challenges are more than scientific. As we unlock the secrets of the genetic code and develop new therapies rooted in the very essence of human life, we must be very careful to maintain a profound sense of the ethical and moral boundaries of biomedical research. Within this context, it is indisputable that the era in which we live presents us with opportunities earlier generations could never even have imagined. They represent not just exhilarating scientific discovery but are means through which we can save and dramatically improve the quality of human life for people everywhere. And Within the past two weeks, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which is published by the National Cancer Institute of my department, published an article by researchers who say they have found protein markers in a blood test that can be used to prevent unnecessary biopsies. This can be done by sharpening the diagnosis of prostate cancer, the second deadliest form of cancer among American men. The scientists who wrote the report even say that we may eventually be able to find out if a man has prostate cancer by testing a pattern of protein traces found in a single drop of blood. Think of the implications of that - finding cancer not through some elaborate set of tests and evaluations, but by examining a drop of blood. That's just one of literally thousands of potential breakthroughs that biotechnology-based research is providing. Then there's the recent report that U.S. researchers can use sophisticated technology to evaluate an unborn child's brain and vision development while the child is still in the womb. The technology is called magnetoencephalography (MEG) and it uses a sequence of flashing lights to allow scientists to measure fields that relate to the electrical activity in an unborn child's brain. If nervous system problems are determined to exist, corrective surgery can be performed within the womb to ensure that the child grows, and is born, healthy. This, too, is simply remarkable. The Food and Drug Administration of my department recently has approved new medications to treat patients with diseases like Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, acute organ dysfunction and rheumatoid arthritis. These drugs could well mean longer, fuller lives for people around the world. The FDA has also just approved a remarkable new rapid HIV test. The OraQuick Rapid HIV-1 Antibody Test, manufactured by OraSure Technologies, is simple, accurate and fast. It uses only one drop of blood, and in just 20 minutes it can detect HIV antibodies with 99.6 percent accuracy. Instead of waiting up to two weeks to get HIV test results, the OraQuick test can provide test results in one visit and in less than half an hour. By virtue of its speed, simplicity, and portability countless more Americans and, ultimately, people throughout the world will be able to find out their HIV status. This will dramatically improve treatment, curtail the spread of AIDS and lengthen life for those suffering from HIV or AIDS. And now researchers at the National Cancer Institute report that they have discovered that a molecule has the ability to activate key cells in the immune response system. This newly discovered function, reported in the Nov. 1, 2002, issue of the journal Science, suggests the molecule, called B-defensin 2, may be useful in the development of more effective cancer vaccines. Cancer vaccines are designed to help program the body's own immune system to attack a tumor. The vaccine does this by training T cells to recognize cancerous cells. Scientists hope that adding B-defensin 2 to such vaccines will promote the growth and multiplication of the tumor-destroying cells, improving patient response to the therapy. Think of that - a new technique for destroying cancer cells within the body. And researchers hope that B-defensin 2 will also be useful in improving AIDS vaccines in the future. That's another exciting prospect. But not everything is happening in the United States. Ireland is helping to lead the way in advancing biotechnology knowledge. In September, researchers at Queens University announced a research breakthrough in understanding the role of a gene called BRAC1 in breast cancer. Women whose BRAC1 genes do not function well are up to 85 percent more likely to develop breast cancer and also have a higher-than-normal chance of developing ovarian cancer, as well. Understanding this information is especially meaningful to me, as my wife is a breast cancer survivor. I have two daughters and a granddaughter, so breast cancer research is a personal priority of mine. Some of the original BRAC research was done at my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin, which is, for me, a point of some pride. Yet the advent of this kind of new knowledge, whether it comes from Ireland, America or wherever, demands that it be applied to the real-world practice of medicine. And that practice can never advance without the work of men and women like you. It is for that reason that I am joining the Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister), my distinguished colleague Mary Harney, in calling for a mentoring program to partner CEOs of Irish biotech start-up firms with experienced American biotech CEOs. It is our hope to get this program underway at the next meeting of the Biotechnology Industry Organization in Washington this coming June. This will enable talented Irish biotech leaders to join with their counterparts in the New World and learn more about how to run a successful biotech business. Frankly, I think men and women like you might just have a thing or two to teach us, as well. I also want to initiate an advisory group of technology transfer specialists from the United States to help Irish university scientists make use of existing knowledge and apply it to biotech research. Tech transfer is important because it enables cross-disciplinary integration of all fields of knowledge. And since science is simply science, it makes good sense that finding applications of science knowledge in various fields should be on our agenda. We are eager to encourage cooperation between our researchers and yours. I know a lot of this already exists, both at the university level and also between the National Institutes of Health and other intergovernmental agencies. Dr. Zerhouni, who will come and speak to you in a few moments, will have much to say about that. There's a wonderful Irish proverb that says, "It is in the shelter of each other that the people live." We are living in one another's shelter in a profound way. We need one another's energy, initiative, knowledge and shared confidence in a better future. The frontiers of knowledge know no border. They do not recognize oceans or listen to national accents. They are common to us all. That is why we must work together to keep pushing them back within the ethical and moral confines I mentioned earlier. And together, that's exactly what we will do. It was that great Irish-American Ronald Reagan who said, and I quote, "My fondest hope is that Americans will travel the road extending forward from the arch of experience, never forgetting our heroic origins, never failing to seek divine guidance as we march boldly and bravely into a future limited only by our capacity to dream." I know President Reagan would extend that hope to the Irish, as well, even as I do now. Thank you again so very much. May God bless you, may God bless the United States and may God bless Ireland. Last Revised: November 20, 2002 |
|
