Medical Research News
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Sen. Moran Statement on Tax Day
“It is time for tax freedom – we need a pro-growth and commonsense tax system”
Apr 17 2012
Sen. Moran Tours Wichita Tornado Damage
Apr 17 2012
On Thursday, I was in Kansas City at the Children's Mercy Hospital and Hall Family Outpatient Center to see how research conducted there improves the care of pediatric patients throughout Kansas and the region. Children’s Mercy provides more than 40 pediatric specialty services to patients and has the area's highest and most comprehensive level of neonatal intensive care, the region's only level I pediatric trauma center, and nationally recognized pediatric specialists, surgeons, and nurses.
The hospital has recently partnered with the University of Kansas Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health to build research infrastructure through a new program called “Frontiers: The Heartland Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.” Frontiers is a network of scientists and doctors working on translational research – research focused on transforming laboratory discoveries into treatments and cures for both adult and pediatric patients. Children’s Mercy is already at the forefront of children’s health and this partnership will continue the development of the hospital’s research. The Frontiers program is significant because it brings together a variety of different health care institutions to work toward the shared goal of advancing patient-centered research.
Thank you to the following individuals at Children’s Mercy for hosting my tour of their impressive facility: Randall O’Donnell, President and CEO; Sandra Lawrence, Executive Vice President and CFO; Charles Roberts, Executive Vice President and Executive Medical Director; Michael Artman, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Director of Research Strategy and Implementation; Gregory Kearns, Chair of Research Development and Clinical Trials; Genny Nicholas, Vice President of Government Relations; and Dallas Polen, Chief of Public Policy Strategy. Click here to see a photo from the visit.
Sen. Moran Statement on USDA Announcement
Apr 09 2012
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement today of their partnership with Western Plains Energy, LLC to support the construction of a biogas anaerobic digester in Oakley, KS. The completed project will replace natural gas with agricultural waste from a nearby cattle feedlot in the production of liquid transportation fuel.
“Today’s announcement is great news for the economic development of Western Kansas,” Sen. Moran said. “By investing in new technologies, Western Plains Energy is charting a path for future growth, creating jobs and opening the door for the use of feedlot waste in future energy projects.”
Western Plains Energy expects to complete construction of the biogas digester in August, which is scheduled to become fully operational in 2013. The digester is expected to produce enough biogas to replace 89 percent of the fossil fuels that Western Plains currently uses to provide process heat at its Oakley, KS, ethanol plant, which produces 50 million gallons of ethanol annually.
Today’s announcement was made under USDA Rural Development’s Repowering Assistance Program. This program was authorized under the 2008 Farm Bill. It allows USDA to make payments to eligible biorefineries to encourage the use of renewable biomass as a replacement fuel source for fossil fuels used to provide process heat or power in the operation of these eligible biorefineries. Biorefineries that were in existence when the bill was enacted, June 18, 2008, are eligible to apply.
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Sen. Moran on Signing of Jobs Act
Final bill includes language supported by Sen. Moran to help Community Banks
Apr 09 2012
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG), released the following statement today in response to a General Services Administration Inspector General report outlining financial abuses connected to a regional conference held in 2010.
“This complete disregard for taxpayer dollars is unacceptable and demonstrates an abuse of American taxpayers’ trust. In two weeks, I will have the opportunity to press GSA officials for answers when representatives appear before the FSGG committee to discuss their budget request for the coming year. Those responsible must be held accountable for their irresponsibility.”
The Inspector General report covers actions taken during a GSA-sponsored 4-day conference at a luxury hotel outside Las Vegas in 2010. According to the report, the conference cost taxpayers more than $822,000 of which more than $146,000 was spent on food and beverage catering. Shortly after the announcement, GSA Administrator Martha Johnson submitted her resignation to the White House and other employees were fired.
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Medical Research Turning Discovery Into Health
Apr 02 2012
On Wednesday, I attended a Senate Appropriations health subcommittee hearing on the 2013 budget proposal for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world. NIH supports more than 325,000 scientists and research personnel, who work at more than 3,000 institutions across the United States and abroad. Among those testifying at the hearing were NIH Director Francis Collins and Harold Varmus, Director of NIH’s National Cancer Institute.
During the hearing, I asked Dr. Collins and Dr. Varmus about NIH’s mission of turning basic scientific discoveries into advances in health treatments and cures and how these objectives are being pursued in Kansas. In particular, we discussed a ground-breaking private-public collaboration between the University of Kansas Cancer Center, NIH, and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society to expedite the development of therapies for rare blood cancers. The goal of this unique collaboration is to conduct clinical studies that drug companies can then use to develop and market medical discoveries. The first project will test whether a certain arthritis drug could be useful in treating a major type of leukemia that typically affects older individuals. This project will enable Kansans to participate in clinical trials close to their homes at KU. These trials have the potential to help change the course of a patient’s treatment for the better. I believe that collaborations such as this one are critical to advancing medical discovery and maximizing the return on the investment of federal dollars.
At the hearing, we also discussed the integral role that NIH plays in establishing the U.S. as a world leader in research and innovation. Given the vast amount of progress made over the last century and the great potential current research holds, now is not the time to waiver on America’s commitment to advancing disease cures and treatments. If researchers cannot rely on consistent support from Congress, we will squander current progress, stunt America’s global competitiveness, and lose younger generations of doctors and scientists to alternative career paths. In 2010, NIH investment led to the creation of nearly 490,000 quality jobs and produced more than $68 billion in new economic activity across the country. Click here to see video clips of my discussions at this hearing.