APHON Endorses the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0
March 31st, 2021
Representative Jennifer Wexton
U.S. House of Representatives
1217 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Representative Tom Cole
U.S. House of Representatives
2207 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Representative Peter Welch
U.S. House of Representatives
2187 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Representative Gus Bilirakis
U.S. House of Representatives
2354 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Wexton, Representative Cole, Representative Welch, and Representative Bilirakis:
The undersigned childhood cancer organizations are members of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, consisting of patient advocacy groups, healthcare professionals and scientific organizations, representing millions of Americans who care deeply about childhood cancer. We are writing to offer our endorsement of H.R 623, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0. Thank you for your leadership in the fight against childhood cancer. More children are lost to cancer in the U.S. than any other disease. Before they turn 20, about 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will have cancer; about 16,000 children receive a cancer diagnosis each year. While recent decades have seen dozens of new cancer therapies, there are very few cancer treatments that are specifically indicated for pediatric cancer. Further, survivors of childhood cancer often suffer long term health consequences due to the side effects of the treatment regimens available today. Despite the significant unmet medical need, the research in pediatric cancer has not met the medical needs of children and families.
The Gabriella Miller Kids First Act 2.0 will build upon the successes of the original Gabriella Miller Kids First Act, enacted in 2014, which has invested $75 million in childhood cancer research and is expected to fund another $50 million before it sunsets in 2023. Further, the Act will expand the Kids First Program, which supports collaborative research to uncover the genetic etiology of childhood cancer and structural birth defects. The Kids First Program holds promise to facilitate more refined diagnostic capabilities and ultimately more targeted therapies or interventions.
The Gabriella Miller Kids First Act 2.0 authorizes continued resources to improve treatment of childhood cancer by advancing the research that brings us closer to finding a cure. Thank you for your leadership on behalf of children with cancer. We look forward to working with you enact The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0. Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Sarah Milberg, Co-Chair of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, at smilberg@allianceforchildhoodcancer.org.
Sincerely,
The Alliance for Childhood Cancer
American Association for Cancer Research
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American Childhood Cancer Organization
American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation
Association for Clinical Oncology
Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses
Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers
Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation
Children’s Cancer Cause
Children’s Oncology Group
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation
National Brain Tumor Society
Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research
Sarcoma Foundation of America
St. Baldrick’s Foundation
2318 Mill Road Alexandria, VA 22314 | alliance@asco.org | www.allianceforchildhoodcancer.org