Why Philanthropy Matters

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We’ve all heard the phrase “the system is broken”. Unfortunately, this could be referring to many things – politics, education, law, government, you name it – but the “system” of funding basic cancer research truly is broken.  Watch the news and you will think we are making progress in the fight against cancer – we hear about immunotherapy and nanotechnology, precision medicine, the moon shot, etc.  There are new FDA approvals of new drugs from big pharma, biotech companies going public, venture capital supporting up and coming companies, etc. And yes, we are definitely making progress. But I believe that most people don’t realize that we could accelerate this progress if we put more seed money into the hands of researchers on the front lines. The system really is broken.  And the reality is that philanthropy is critical in our current funding model in order for us to help advance innovation – to help scientists work on discoveries that just don’t exist today. 
 
I’ve spoken to several scientists doing basic cancer research and what I hear is very consistent – they spend 70-80 percent of their time on raising money for their lab, writing grants or seeking donations from private sources. The institutions where the scientists work are not providing full funding for their lab, and this is what I think most people don’t realize. These scientists are under extreme pressure to find money to keep their lab operating. Do we really want our brilliant scientists spending the majority of their time on fundraising? I’d rather they spend 100% of their time in the lab, wouldn’t you?  And,  if you are a cancer scientist, even at a major hospital or university, and you get  funding from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, there is an almost 90% chance you may not get another grant when it expires. Yes, your chance of getting an NIH grant in oncology is about 11%. So the responsibility to keep the lab operating (funded) is on the scientist. I suppose it is like a law firm where you have to provide billable hours to support your position with the firm, but it feels different to me when it is about focusing time in a laboratory. I think we should trust that the scientists need the time to test their ideas.
 
 
All of this was on my mind when I attended the World Medical Innovation Forum in Boston last week. The Forum is a gathering of senior corporate, investor and academic leaders, organized by Partners HealthCare Innovation, a division of Partners HealthCare dedicated to advancing the commercial application of the capabilities of Partners’ academic medical centers. The Forum highlighted topics such as emerging cancer innovations in immunotherapy, epigenetics, early diagnosis, combination therapies, curative drugs, and the role of patients in innovation. The last part of the Forum was a showcase of the most promising cancer technology innovations from around the world — the 12 technologies with the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment and patient care over the next decade called “The Disruptive Dozen.” And this is what got me revved up about how philanthropy really matters if we want to advance these identified promising ideas.
 
 
The bottom line is, there are “disruptive” technologies that have been identified by thought leaders at institutions at this Forum such as Partners Healthcare, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School. The question is, how can we provide the resources to the scientists/researchers behind the scenes to bring these ideas to patients – and the sooner the better? The reality is we need philanthropic support. This is why I am on a mission to educate the public – and those individuals, foundations and companies that have the resources to make a difference – to help bring technologies like the “Disruptive Dozen” to cancer care. I’m grateful for those philanthropists who have already answered the call to support these researchers. People like Sean Parker, thank you.  My goal is to find others who may not be aware of these opportunities to make an impact on the fight against cancer. We are all in this together.
 
#CancerResearchEvangelist

 

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