News | June 29, 2010

HHS Secretary Sebelius To Join Leaders From NIH, FDA ,And Academia To Discuss New Roles In Drug Discovery And Development

Kansas City, MO--(Marketwire) -

Kauffman Foundation
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and other national leaders are coming together on July 6, 2010 for a first-of-its-kind town hall-style meeting with the goal of accelerating the discovery and development of new cancer drugs.

The event will bring together other senior government officials and thought leaders from industry, venture capital, academia, venture philanthropy and non-profit sectors to spur innovation and move discoveries more quickly from the laboratory to the clinic, where they can benefit patients battling cancer. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Richard Gephardt, former U.S. House Majority Leader and Chairman of the Council for American Medical Innovation, are among those who will participate.

Reflecting the growing shift away from the model of large pharmaceutical companies developing drugs internally from start to finish, the town hall is titled, "The New Role of Academia in Drug Discovery and Development." It is being sponsored by Friends of Cancer Research and the University of Kansas Cancer Center, with support from the Kansas Bioscience Authority, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Council for American Medical Innovation.

Where: The Kauffman Foundation Conference Center, 4801 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, Mo., 64110

When: July 6, 2010, 7:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. CDT

Many key participants and organizational leadership will be available for press prior to the conference.

About Friends of Cancer Research

Friends of Cancer Research (Friends) is a cancer research think tank based in the Washington, D.C. area. Working with the entire cancer research and advocacy community, Friends pioneers innovative public-private partnerships, organizes critical policy forums, educates the public, and brings together key stakeholders to overcome the barriers standing between patients and the most promising cancer treatments.

About The University of Kansas Cancer Center

At The University of Kansas Cancer Center, we are more than an academic cancer center; we are a unique community-based cancer research and care partnership focused on one mission: eliminating the burden of cancer. The University of Kansas Cancer Center is transforming cancer research and clinical care by linking our innovative approach to drug discovery, delivery and development to our nationally accredited patient care program.

About the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private nonpartisan foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare.

About the Council for American Medical Innovation

The United States faces serious challenges to maintaining its leadership position in innovation. The Council for American Medical Innovation is bringing together leaders in research, medicine, public health, academia, education, labor, investment, and business, who are working in partnership toward a national policy agenda aimed at preserving U.S. leadership in medical innovation. American medical innovators create millions of high-paying jobs, and their discoveries are integral in the fight to cure cancer and other illnesses. The Council for American Medical Innovation views leadership in medical innovation as a key part of America's economic recovery, future prosperity and health.

About the Kansas Bioscience Authority

The KBA is a $581 million initiative that is advancing Kansas' national bioscience leadership by building world-class research capacity; fostering the formation and growth of bioscience startups; supporting expansion of the state's bioscience clusters; and facilitating industrial expansion and attraction.

SOURCE: Kauffman, The Foundation of Entrepreneurship