Real Clear published a thought piece from Children’s Tumor Foundation CEO Annette Bakker, PhD, about the importance of public-private partnerships in biomedical research, emphasizing their role in maximizing research funding and accelerating medical breakthroughs. In the piece, Annette discusses how federal agencies are collaborating with private sector research foundations to better understand diseases and improve patient outcomes.
Washington has pledged to boost biomedical research funding, and that’s good news for patients. But lawmakers should also be working to maximize the bang for their research buck.
Federal agencies have increasingly realized that an excellent way to do so is by working closely with the private sector research foundations that best know the disease of interest — and the journeys patients face.
Health nonprofits have long been expert advocates for their patient membership. They still are. But more recently, patient-centered research foundations have been moving toward a more active role in medical research. Staffed with former R&D veterans, they are increasingly devoting resources to facilitating progress from initialdiscovery to clinical benefits for patients.
They provide seed and bridge funding, forge collaborations, and invest their expertise to accelerate approvals. By testing nascent therapies before taxpayers begin funding them, these nonprofits also help ensure that public research dollars get spent more efficiently and with less risk. Click here to read the full piece.
