Report to National Cancer Advisory Board: NCAB Working Group on Biomedical Technology

摘要

The long-term goal of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) is to eliminate deaths and suffering due to cancer. There are approx. 1.4 million new cases of cancer each year and approx. 560,000 deaths in the United States alone. Fulfilling this goal demands a deeper understanding of the basis of cancer through research, and the application of this knowledge to develop more effective methods of prevention, detection, and treatment. It has become clear that progress on both these fronts is crucially dependent on technology. We stand at a moment of enormous opportunity. Biomedicine is in the midst of a technological revolution, driven by advances in genomics, cell biology, chemistry and computational science. Extraordinary tools have already become available for probing and modulating cells and tissues, and continued improvements are expected in the decade ahead. These tools hold enormous promise for propelling biomedical progress against cancer. Against this background, the Director of the National Cancer Institute requested that the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) advise NCI how best to harness the power of biomedical technology to drive cancer research.