It took over a decade of hard work from kidney cancer advocates to obtain kidney cancer-specific research funding included in the federal budget. Nevertheless, in March of 2017 Congress approved and the president signed the Consolidation Appropriations Act. The bill includes $10 million for kidney cancer research.
UT Southwestern Kidney Cancer Program Director, James Brugarolas, M.D., Ph.D. was appointed the Chair of the CDMRP Programmatic and Vision Setting Panel. The panel was tasked with formulating a strategy do invest the funds. Their vision: to eliminate kidney cancer through collaboration and discovery.
“This $10 million appropriation represents a landmark commitment by the federal government to invest in kidney cancer research and seek a cure for this disease,” said Dr. Brugarolas.
The Congressionally-directed Kidney Cancer Research Program panel recently announced four grant funding opportunities. The opportunities focus on innovation and are geared towards team science and the development of the first ever Clinical Trials Kidney Cancer Consortium. By funding the establishment of a consortium, the panel hopes to accelerate the development of new treatments for patients.
“These opportunities have the potential to transform kidney cancer research,” explained Dr. Brugarolas.
