In a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the senators called for the strongest level of funding possible for precision medicine; Precision medicine, which is health care tailored to a person’s genes, environment, and lifestyle, has led to medical breakthroughs in treating cancer and other diseases such as cystic fibrosis 

Senators touted Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic as an international leader in cutting-edge research on precision medicine, which holds the promise of revolutionizing the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases 

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken are pushing to boost support for precision medicine. In a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee, the senators called for the strongest level of funding possible for precision medicine. Precision medicine, which is health care tailored to a person’s genes, environment, and lifestyle, has led to medical breakthroughs in treating cancer and other diseases such as cystic fibrosis. The senators highlighted Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic as an international leader in cutting-edge research on precision medicine, which holds the promise of revolutionizing the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.

“The United States must remain on the cutting edge of health care innovation,” the senators wrote. “With precision medicine, the health care of our future is closer than ever before. It will transform the way doctors provide care, making our health care system more efficient by providing improved, targeted treatments. This effort will require investment and leadership from the National Institutes of Health, the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, and the Food and Drug Administration.”

Klobuchar is a leader in efforts to provide strong funding for medical and scientific research and called for increased investment in precision medicine during the recent budget debate. In February, Klobuchar toured the Mayo Clinic Biobank to highlight the importance of investing in precision medicine.

She has consistently pushed her colleagues to support National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in budget and appropriations negotiations, and has spoken out on the Senate floor about the damage of sequestration to the NIH. This Congress, she cosponsored the America Cures Act to authorize an additional investment of five percent per year at the NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Defense Health Program (DHP), and the Veterans Medical & Prosthetics Research Program.

A member of the Senate Health Committee, Franken has fought hard since coming to the Senate to make sure that Minnesota remains a hub for medical innovation and research. During last year’s budget negotiations, he pressed his Senate colleagues to maintain a strong commitment to funding the NIH. More recently, he’s championed scientific and medical research by supporting the American Cures Act and Medical Innovation Act, which would help ensure that the U.S. continues to produce life-saving discoveries and maintains its standing as a global leader in research.  

The full text of the senators’ letter is available below:

Dear Chairman Cochran and Vice Chairwoman Mikulski:

As you work on the Fiscal Year 2016 appropriations legislation for research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and regulatory improvements at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC), we ask that you provide the strongest level of funding possible for precision medicine, which holds the promise of revolutionizing the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

In 2003, the NIH and its international partners completed the mapping of the human genome—a scientific achievement equivalent to landing on the moon.  The Human Genome Project jump-started the field of medical genomics and opened up new opportunities to improve how we care for patients.

In our home state, the Mayo Clinic has long been at the cutting edge of medical innovation.  The Mayo Clinic’s Center for Individualized Medicine is already an established leader in precision medicine – health care tailored to a person’s genes, environment and lifestyle.

Mayo’s Breast Cancer Genome-Guided Therapy study is helping researchers and physicians better understand why chemotherapy is effective in treating breast cancer in some women, but fails in others.  Mayo hopes to use this research to personalize therapy to women with breast cancer and ultimately transform the way we treat the disease.  Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN is also home to a robust “biobank” with almost 50,000 samples that researchers can use to solve the mystery of many diseases. 

The United States should remain on the cutting edge of health care innovation. Today we have the opportunity to build on the success of the Human Genome Project and lead the global effort to encourage scientific discovery and clinical implementation of precision medicine. This effort will require investment and leadership from the National Institutes of Health, the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, and the Food and Drug Administration.

With precision medicine, the health care of our future is closer than ever before. It will transform the way doctors provide care, making our health care system more efficient by providing improved, targeted treatments.

Thank you for considering this request. We look forward to working with you to ensure hope that the FY16 appropriations legislation reflects this critical national priority.

Sincerely,

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