Guest column: UMass Chan, NIH teaming to beat cancer, other diseases

The American Cancer Society projects that in 2024, new first-time cancer cases will, for the first time, exceed 2 million. Despite this truly daunting statistic, these patients are more likely to survive because of medical advancements like immunotherapy — a treatment that uses a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer by enhancing or restoring the immune system’s ability to fight the disease.

Fifty-two percent of patients with metastatic melanoma treated with immunotherapy are alive after five years, compared with just 5% before the development of this breakthrough treatment. Thanks to decades of research funded by the National Institutes of Health at UMass Chan Medical School and our peers across the country, there are now immunotherapies to treat more than 15 types of cancer.

Immunotherapy is just one example of NIH-funded research that promises to develop therapies for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS and rare genetic diseases.

Consider that 30 million Americans are living with one of the 10,000 diseases classified as rare (defined by conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the United States). Eighty percent of these rare diseases can be traced to mutations in a single gene.

This crucial knowledge arms biomedical researchers with the knowledge they need to begin targeted investigations into how to reverse or correct disease-causing mutations. This research takes years or decades of intentional investment — often led capably and nobly by the NIH — to bear meaningful discoveries and therapies.

Regularly, families from around the globe seek out UMass Chan’s groundbreaking gene therapy research, clinical trials and compassionate faculty when faced with a difficult diagnosis. This collaborative partnership between foundational funding agencies, led by the NIH, with faculty and families is a model for medical innovation.

Massachusetts benefits from a congressional delegation that believes in and advocates for the promise, hope and economic impact that comes with a sustained and robust investment in research. Illnesses can be detected, treated and even prevented, all due to medical research.

NIH funds spent today pay a lifetime of dividends by saving lives and improving the quality of life for all Americans while reducing overall health care costs. Despite the current, highly partisan climate in Washington, D.C., it is critical that Congress come together in a bipartisan manner to support the NIH with strong, steady funding growth that will ultimately lead to a healthier nation.

The consequences of underinvestment in medical research are real and stark, particularly at this moment when the combination of technology and knowledge has accelerated the pace at which potential discoveries can be made.

The number and range of clinical trials would shrink, restricting access to cutting-edge technologies, particularly for patients with rare diseases. The economic benefits of research would be diminished, causing labs to close and holding back a generation of researchers needed to make discoveries.

NIH funding provides the foundation for the careers of countless scientists who could lead the way to the next life-changing breakthrough. NIH-funded research generates high-quality jobs and business development across the country and enhances the country’s global competitiveness.

Few places can claim a life sciences sector more robust than in Massachusetts. UMass Chan is integral to this sophisticated global ecosystem, garnering more NIH funding each year than many other entire states.

While I have learned not to make any guarantees, I will say there is reason to still have hope. If we all do what we can do, if federal policymakers do what they can do, if industry does what it can do, if the foundations do what they can do, I am convinced we are going to beat most of these diseases in the end.

Dr. Terence R. Flotte is executive deputy chancellor and provost at UMass Chan Medical School and dean of its T.H. Chan School of Medicine. He also serves as vice president of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. This piece was written in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Guest column: UMass Chan, NIH teaming to beat cancer, other diseases