Senator Coons calls for research on pancreatic cancer
As a strong advocate for science-based research, Senator Coons this week joined a bipartisan group of 56 Senators – more than half the Senate – to urge quick action on legislation to combat pancreatic cancer. The group came together to sign a letter urging their colleagues to move forward on the Pancreatic Cancer Research & Education Act, which would require the National Institutes of Health to lead a strategic plan to address this disease.
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States and will strike 43,000 Americans this year, 74 percent of whom will die within a year of diagnosis.
The letter, addressed to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, stated that pancreatic cancer is “unique biologically and requires focused research. Because pancreatic cancer is one of the most scientifically-complicate cancers, the advances we make in understanding the disease may have spillover effects in understanding treatments and cures for other cancers.”
The proposed pancreatic cancer legislation follows in the footsteps of other legislative actions to eradicate other pernicious diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, breast cancer, autism, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. The legislation would “provide a critical tool for making progress in this terrible disease,” but the strategic plan would not compel the NIH, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), or National Cancer Institute (NCI) to allocate taxpayer dollars for disease specific research. Rather, funds would be allocated “on a peer-reviewed basis.”
During a Democratic Steering Committee meeting this week, Chris engaged leaders of the biomedical research community, including NIH Director Francis Collins, in a dialogue on biotech research and what Congressional action would best facilitate academic research. The panel of experts, which included two Delawareans, unanimously agreed that greater government funding will spur economic growth. Dr. Collins also pointed out that every dollar of NIH funding yields a return of $2.25 in the first year alone.