June 2006 Request to Restore Funding for DOE's Medical Application and Measurement Science Program
June 22, 2006
The Honorable Pete Domenici
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Domenici,
I am writing on behalf of the American College of Radiology to request that you restore the $37 million appropriation to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Medical Application and Measurement Science Program in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Energy and Water Appropriations bill.
As you know, this program was ultimately lost in conference last year, and the loss of these important research dollars has seriously jeopardized promising advances in nuclear medicine. DOE-sponsored nuclear medicine research has been instrumental in the advancement of noninvasive molecular/nuclear medicine procedures including positron emission tomography (PET) scans. PET scans diagnose and monitor treatment in cancer, analyze heart function through cardiac stress tests, scan bones for orthopedic injuries, and scan lungs for blood clots. Patients undergo procedures to diagnose liver and gall bladder abnormal function and to diagnose and treat hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. PET contributes extensively to the management of patients with cancers of the brain, breast, blood, bone, bone marrow, liver, lungs, pancreas, thyroid, ovaries, and prostate, and serious disorders of the heart, brain, and kidneys, to name a few. On a more global level, discoveries in nuclear medicine are revolutionizing the way pharmaceuticals are developed and tested, and could potentially lead to substantial cost savings and efficiencies in bringing pharmaceuticals to the market.
Notwithstanding past successes, the vast potential of nuclear medicine research is only now being realized. Unless funding for DOE nuclear medicine research is restored, promising research will be lost.
The future of life-saving therapies and cutting-edge research in molecular/nuclear medicine and imaging depends on funding for the DOE Medical Applications and Measurement Science Program. We thank you for your attention to this important appropriations request.
Sincerely,
Arl Van Moore, Jr., MD, FACR
Chair, Board of Chancellors