91% of pancreatic cancer patients die within 5 years– often because the cancer is too advanced to treat by the time of diagnosis. An early detection test for pancreatic cancer would be the most effective weapon to save lives from this disease.
Pancreatic cancer is one example of the limitations of the current system to address deadly diseases with urgency. Despite decades of medical innovation, millions of Americans with fatal and debilitating conditions have seen no progress. The current path from basic science to applied research to commercial viability is too slow. Research is not getting to patients fast enough.
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CodePurple advocates for HARPA – a Health Advanced Research Projects Agency – as the most promising vehicle to develop a pancreatic cancer detection test. HARPA, modeled after the spectacularly successful DARPA unit at the Department of Defense, would leverage federal research assets and private sector tools to build new capabilities for diseases that have not benefitted from the current system.
HARPA would tackle our most urgent medical challenges. An early detection test for pancreatic cancer would be a top priority.
LEARN MOREFebruary 9, 2022
On February 8th, The Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing, ARPA-H: The Next Frontier of Biomedical Research, including testimony from Dr. Geoffrey Ling, Col. (Ret).
June 25, 2018
A segment from “The Patients Are Waiting: How HARPA Will Change Lives Now”
May 11, 2021
The Suzanne Wright Foundation proposed the establishment of HARPA in 2017 to address pancreatic cancer and other diseases that have not benefitted from the current system. We have been relentless in our efforts ever since. In addition to our advocacy with the last administration, our team worked closely with the Biden campaign throughout 2020 to be sure that HARPA became a priority in a new administration.
We are proud to update you with the news that President Biden has announced his support for an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (HARPA). You can read about the President’s announcement in his joint address to Congress on April 28, 2021 HERE. The President has formally proposed $6.5 billion in the FY 2021-2022 budget for the agency and Congress is currently reviewing this proposal.
In order for HARPA to deliver on its potential, it is essential that it is structured like DARPA – operating as an independent agency with urgency, accountability and results. HARPA would leverage discovery-based research at the NIH, Department of Defense and other federal agencies, while catalyzing the private sector to drive meaningful innovation that will save millions of lives and billions of dollars.
Patient advocacy groups and industry leaders across the field have joined our efforts. During these critical months of budget negotiation, we remain focused on establishing HARPA as an agency that can hit the ground running and deliver results for the millions of patients and their families who have been waiting.
You can read a Fast Company article about our Foundation’s contribution to this effort HERE. As always, thank you for your continued support.
The Suzanne Wright Foundation is dedicated to driving urgency and action in the fight against pancreatic cancer—the most deadly of all major cancers. 91% of patients die. This is an emergency. This is #CodePurple.
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