WASHINGTON, D.C. – On heels of World Cancer Day, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today invited Vice President Joe Biden to visit Ohio and meet experts from the state as part of his Cancer Moonshot initiative. In a letter to Biden sent today, Brown highlighted several institutions and hospitals that are critical partners in the fight to end cancer.
“Ohio is home to several world-class institutions that are leading the way in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, patient-care, and research,” Brown wrote in the letter. “Each year, Ohio institutions receive millions of dollars from the NIH and NCI to support cutting-edge research and establish new ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat cancer. Hundreds of cancer clinical trials are taking place in cities and hospitals across the state, helping connect Ohioans to new treatments and enhanced clinical care. Across Ohio, there are individuals and institutions that stand ready to help with your Cancer Moonshot initiative. I invite you to join me in Ohio to speak with and learn from those who have dedicated their lives to ending cancer as we know it.”
Brown is committed to connecting Ohio with the resources necessary to research, treat, and, hopefully, cure cancer. Despite the world-class care available in Ohio, it is estimated that more than 66,000 Ohioans will be diagnosed with cancer in 2016.
During his final State of the Union Address, President Obama unveiled his “Moonshot” initiative to defeat cancer. He recently established the Cancer Moonshot Task Force — with Vice President Biden at the helm — and announced a $1.1 billion investment in research and technology to launch the initiative.
The research and advancements that the Moonshot initiative is designed to accelerate will build on recently passed legislation that provides new funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH is the cornerstone of medical advancement and innovation in the United States, and finances lifesaving research to better understand and improve our nation’s health — including the groundbreaking work at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Funding directed to the NIH through omnibus legislation — which will impact all NIH Institutes and Centers — will help advance discoveries that lead to better understanding of disease processes, develop new treatments, and improve health outcomes.
February 5, 2016
The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Vice President of the United States of America
Eisenhower Executive Office Building
1650 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Vice President Biden:
I am writing to invite you and members of the federal Cancer Moonshot Task Force to Ohio and for a roundtable on cancer as part of your Cancer Moonshot initiative. Ohio is home to several world-class institutions that are leading the way in cancer prevention, detection, treatment, patient-care, and research. I encourage you to come see what Ohio has pioneered in the field of oncology, and hold a roundtable with experts from across the state on ways to “get to a quantum leap on the path to a cure.”
As you know, federal investment in research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has been crucial in developing better treatments, lowering the chance of death, and improving the quality of life for cancer patients. I am proud that Ohio is one of the top-ten annual recipients for NIH funding. Each year, Ohio institutions receive millions of dollars from the NIH and NCI to support cutting edge research and establish new ways to prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat cancer. Hundreds of cancer clinical trials are taking place in cities and hospitals across the state, helping connect Ohioans to new treatments and enhanced clinical care.
In addition to leading the way in cancer research, Ohio is also a trailblazer when it comes to clinical care. Ohio is home to two NCI-designated cancer centers: the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) in Cleveland, and the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (the OSUCCC-James) in Columbus. The Case CCC represents a partnership organization between Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and Siedman Cancer Center, and the Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute. This unique model provides an opportunity for cancer researchers across northeast Ohio to collaborate and integrate their research and clinical activities. This partnership facilitates large-scale, multi-investigator efforts across institutions, enabling the Case CCC to accomplish more than any single institution could individually.
The OSUCCC-James is a Dedicated Cancer Center focused on providing each of its patients with patient-centered, personalized care. OSUCCC-James has benefited from both federal and philanthropic investment – making it a model for public-private partnerships. In 2010, the OSUCCC-James received federal stimulus money from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) to fund two major projects to benefit its cancer program. Thanks to your leadership in implementing the ARRA, one of these projects – the completion of the Biomedical Research Tower – has helped provide an additional 64,000 square feet of lab space for the OSUCCC-James. This tower houses several labs that support the cancer program’s commitment to expanding solid tumor basic and genetic research, and has been an instrumental resource in improving therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with cancer. The OSUCCC-James also received a $100 million hospital construction grant through from the Department of Health and Human Services. This grant, which helped support the construction of a new hospital with a state-of-the art radiation therapy facility for cancer patients, was made possible by the Affordable Care Act. These federal investments, coupled with generous private donations, have helped cement the hospital’s role as a national leader in cancer care.
As part of its mission, the OSUCCC-James recently partnered with the Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida to establish the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN), which will enhance collaboration and access to data across cancer centers. By utilizing big data and increasing access to medical records and tissue banks across patients at cancer centers across the country, ORIEN will help improve individualized therapies and enhance clinical trial matching for patients across the country.
Case CCC and the OSUCCC-James are not the only institutions advancing cancer care in Ohio. From Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where doctors and researchers specialize in treating cancers specific to children and offering treatment options with promise, to other adult and pediatric hospitals in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, Toledo, and in between, Ohio’s hospitals are leaders in the fight against cancer.
Across Ohio there are individuals and institutions that stand ready to help with your Cancer Moonshot initiative. I invite you to join me in Ohio to speak with and learn from those who have dedicated their lives to ending cancer as we know it.
Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown
United States Senator
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