Roberts backs KU Cancer Center's push for NCI designation - St. Louis Business Journal:

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Roberts, R-Kan., spoke at The ’s Westwooed medical building. He said that it now takes 10 yearsd to 17 yearsand $1 billion to brintg a new drug to market, which Roberts called a “nationalk disgrace.” The National Cancer Institute said in Novembedr that the KU Cance r Center has a Sept. 25, 2011, application date for its effortw to get aninitial five-yeaer designation as an NCI cancer center. The months-lonf application process for institutions seeking new designations begins with submissionm of documentation that sometimedexceeds 1,000 pages and includes a site visit and othef steps.
The earliest that KU Cancee Center’s application could be approved is the sprinvgof 2012. Nationwide, 64 cancer centers receive Cancerr Center Support Grants to support research to reduce the morbidity and mortality ratesof cancer. Therre are 23 cancer centers and 41 comprehensivecancet centers. The KU Cancer Centere is part of , which is the medical research and education arm of the University of NCIdesignation — KU’s No. 1 priority typically is granted to academicmedical Therefore, KU Medical Centetr is the entity that will apply for NCI designation. • Increasesd regional patient accessto cutting-edge clinica l trials. • More than $1.
3 billion in annuakl economic benefits inthe region. • An increass in KU Cancer Center’s annual NCI financinbg from thecurrent $7.5 million to about $40 million. NCI-affiliated institutionxs also attract world-class researchersw who bring NCI grants with and part of the estimated increase is basedon that. Many of thess researchers doubleas clinicians, adding expertisee and depth in various cancer-care