Francis S. Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, presented testimony on July 25, 2018 at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Health Subcommittee on implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act. Among specific areas of scientific opportunity supported by the Act, he high- lighted two components of its Innovation Fund: the Cancer Moonshot, and the bold new Precision Medicine Initiative, called All of Us. The Cancer Moonshot initiative aggressively is pursuing an ambitious goal to accelerate advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. Such advances include immunotherapy, in which a person's own immune system is taught to recognize and attack cancer cells. After years of research supported by NIH, immunotherapy is leading to dramatic cures of some cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and melanoma. Moreover, each year as many as 135,000 American women who have undergone surgery for the most common form of early stage breast cancer face a difficult decision, whether or not also to undergo chemotherapy to improve their odds. TAILORx, a large NIH-funded clinical trial, shows that about 70% of such women actually do not benefit from chemotherapy and a genomic test of tumor tissue can identify them quite reliably, producing a significant cost savings perhaps up to $1 billion a year.
The centerpiece of the Precision Medicine Initiative, the All of Us Research Program, will enroll one million or more individuals. On May 6 of this year when enrollment was launched in seven sites across the nation, 10,000 participants were reached. As of the Congressional hearing on July 25, more than 86,000 volunteers had signed up to contribute their health data in many ways over several years. Some are enrolled through health provider organizations, of which 10 are part of the NIH enterprise, including community health centers and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Other participants enroll as direct volunteers, who sign up over the Internet. Almost half are from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, which will enhance research into health disparities. With each new person enrolled, every biological sample preserved, every electronic health record collected, every survey filled out, these data will hold increased promise for advancing human health.
More Articles from TRENDS July - August 2018
TECHNOLOGY’S IMPACT ON THE HEALTH WORKFORCE
Direct-to-consumer genotyping commercial services and CRISPR increase the necessity of having an adequate supply of competent health care practitioners. Read More
PRESIDENT’S CORNER—ASAHP MEMBER FOCUS
Barbara Jacobsmeyer, President of Inpatient Hospitals at Encompass Health, is featured in this issue of TRENDS. Read More
SOCIAL SECURITY AND PAYING FOR HEALTH CARE
If Social Security is the principal source of retirement income, it may not be enough to pay for health care. Read More
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT DEVELOPMENTS
- Cost And Consequences Of Complying With Hospital Regulatory Requirements
- Individual Insurance Performance In 2018
- Final Rule Issued On Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance Coverage Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
- Democrats Introduce Plan In Congress To Reauthorize The Higher Education Act (HEA)
- U.S. Department Of Education Proposes New Set Of Higher Education Regulations
Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
- Causes Of Death In The United States
- Application Of A Tool To Identify Undiagnosed Hypertension — United States, 2016
- Tumbling Microbots For Future Health Treatments
- Using Shark Skin Patterns To Halt The Spread Of Infections Read More
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONICALLY
- Matching Patients And Their Records
- Reasonable Patient Care Under Uncertainty
- Patient-Centered Medical Homes And Accountable Care Organizations Read More
GENDER BIAS IN HOW PROFESSIONALS ARE SPOKEN ABOUT
A study reports evidence of gender bias and how it affects women in high-status fields, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Read More