Andrew Hendifar, Lynne Davis and Richard Tuli published an editorial in a recent issue of the medical journal Gastroenterology (available on-line March 1, 2017) that nicely highlights the critical importance of private giving to pancreatic cancer research.
In their article, Hendifar, Davis and Tuli point out that pancreatic cancer is predicted to become the number two leading cause of cancer death in the United States in 2030. This sobering statistic is contrasted with painfully poor funding from the Federal Government for pancreatic cancer research (JA Johnson, Brief History of NIH Funding: Fact Sheet, Congressional Research Service, December 23, 2013). From 2005 to 2015 the budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grew 6%. Hendifar, Davis and Tuli note that after accounting for inflation, this represents a funding deficit of 25%!!!
Hendifar, Davis and Tuli report that, in contrast to funding from the Federal Government, private funding for pancreatic cancer research increased six-fold between 2003 and 2013, and a remarkable 42% from 2010 to 2013.They conclude, “we need to ask the general public, philanthropic groups, and other private agencies to follow their conscience and help provide supplemental support.”
Private giving has had extraordinary impact on the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center at Hopkins (just look at our name!). Private giving has made the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center the best pancreatic cancer center in the world. Private giving has allowed scientists in the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center to sequence all of the genes in pancreatic cancer (we now know the enemy’s battle plans!). Private giving has given scientists in the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center the resources they need to translate discoveries made in the lab to improve patient care!
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http://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas/support.php
Dr. Hruban