Sharon Begley wrote an article for Newsweek Magazine titled Where Are the Cures?
Scientists call the gulf between a biomedical discovery and new treatment “the valley of death.” I have written about this topic several times.
As a relative newcomer to scientific research, my journey has been perplexing and disconcerting. Everyday articles, Web stories and scientific papers cross my desk, touting discoveries made at the basic science level.
My insiders began pointing out to me nearly seven years ago that these discoveries very rarely get to the public for their care and treatment.
Begley’s article clearly identified some of the reasons behind this gap in medical science, and most of the reasons uncovered lead back to a broken system with both inappropriate incentives and vague disincentives locked firmly into place.
How do we get the basic discoveries to be translated and moved into actual treatments?
Obstacles to translational research in which studies move from the scientist’s bench to the patient’s bedside are formidable – hence the scientific community’s designation as the “valley of death.”
According to the article, “The valley of death is why many promising discoveries – genes linked to cancer and Parkinson’s disease; biochemical pathways that ravage neurons in Lou Gehrig’s disease – never move forward.”
Why are so few of the discoveries making their way to treatments and cures? It is because our system of NIH-sponsored science is set up to discover things; plain and simple. Once the discovery is made, articles can be written. That is the sought-after reward because these publications lead to more grants from the NIH, and the circle goes round and round.
The author challenges the incoming Obama administration and Congress to take a look at this dilemma and to begin revamping our biomedical research system by creating what Richard Boxer, a urologist at the University of Miami, and Lou Weisbach, a Chicago entrepreneur, call a “center for cures” at the NIH.
Interestingly enough, the model they endorse is exactly what was created not far from Johnstown, where multidisciplinary teams of biologists, chemists, technicians and biomedical informatics specialists work together to move a discovery to an actual cure.
Of course, with the cuts made during the Bush administration to the NIH funds, creating anything new that is unfunded could take away from basic research, and limit hopes for these cure discoveries.
The article explains that while the NIH budget was doubling, new-drug approvals fell from 53 in 1996 to 18 in 2006.
The sad case, however, is that even those organizations that try to establish cure centers are not funded by the NIH because of the fundamental design to enhance only basic research.
The article ends with this: “I’d be willing to put up with potholes in exchange for a new administration spending serious money to take the discoveries taxpayers have paid for and turn them into cures.”
Nick Jacobs is president of both the Windber Medical Center and Windber Research Institute, and the author of a new book, “Taking the Hell Out of Healthcare: A Patient’s Guide to Getting the Best care.”
Business
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Democrat File Photo
Discussion
NICK JACOBS | ‘Valley of death’
- Business
-
-
Include your business in Vision 2012, the annual Progress edition
Fill out this questionnaire to include your business in the roundups to be published in April.
-
In brief: Penelec to close 3 operations centers
Penelec has announced it will close its service operations centers in Ebensburg, Bedford and Huntingdon and relocate its 72 employees to the Altoona Service Center in the fall.
-
Airport eatery deal falls through
Plans for a Caribbean-cuisine restaurant at the Johnstown airport have crashed.
-
Business managers meet with government buyers
Leads, connections and first-hand information are among the hallmarks of Showcase for Commerce, which organizers promote as a nationally recognized defense trade show designed to promote local employment through government contracting.
-
Giant Eagle recalls garden salad bags
The Giant Eagle supermarket chain is recalling bags of garden salad because of possible contamination.
- Business briefs 5/22/2012
-
'A lot to balance': Advisers shepherd clients toward recovery
Volatile financial markets have become a fact of life in recent years and how and where to invest has become very challenging.
-
THOMAS YOUNG | Obeying rules of the road
Maybe it’s just me, but the driving habits of the general public seem to be getting worse.
-
SCORE | Help control costs with these five tips
As a small-business owner, you are very conscientious about providing quality service or products to your customers. Treating your routine administrative expenses the same way can save your company added funds.
- Real estate transactions 05/20/2012
- More Business Headlines
-
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
