There are a ton of people researching cancer and fighting for cures, and doing so solely because they have lost loved ones or are passionate about the science
But that is not enough. Cancer is quite a formidable foe. one researcher in a lab can only do so much.
as you say, science is collaborative. but getting medicines approved requires more than just government or philanthropic funding. it requires collaboaration with for-profit entities: venture funding, and big pharma r&d budgets. that money requires profitability. and in business, speed matters. competition can be very healthy in regards to pushing researchers to the next level
oncology is one of the most funded areas of research not just because it impacts a lot of people. it is also one of the most profitable. fda incentives reduce the cost of drug development, and drug developers can charge high prices because they are creating a lot of clinical value. this is perhaps a cynical viewpoint, but if you look at the leading causes of death in the US, and the diseases with the most VC / pharma funding, only cancer is in both groups
as further evidence of the importance of profits in funding decisions: cancer consistently ranks in the top two disease areas in terms of VC and pharma investment. it receives about double the next fields (infectious disease) in terms of pharma investment, VC investment and FDA approvals
however, cancer funding is in third place in terms of NIH funding, with roughly 1/3 the funding of neuro / neuropsych disease and less funding than infectious disease. cancer is well funded largely because of profit motives, and profit-driven groups are the ones that get cancer drugs out of the lab and to patients. not ideal, but thats the status quo
But that is not enough. Cancer is quite a formidable foe. one researcher in a lab can only do so much. as you say, science is collaborative. but getting medicines approved requires more than just government or philanthropic funding. it requires collaboaration with for-profit entities: venture funding, and big pharma r&d budgets. that money requires profitability. and in business, speed matters. competition can be very healthy in regards to pushing researchers to the next level
oncology is one of the most funded areas of research not just because it impacts a lot of people. it is also one of the most profitable. fda incentives reduce the cost of drug development, and drug developers can charge high prices because they are creating a lot of clinical value. this is perhaps a cynical viewpoint, but if you look at the leading causes of death in the US, and the diseases with the most VC / pharma funding, only cancer is in both groups
as further evidence of the importance of profits in funding decisions: cancer consistently ranks in the top two disease areas in terms of VC and pharma investment. it receives about double the next fields (infectious disease) in terms of pharma investment, VC investment and FDA approvals
however, cancer funding is in third place in terms of NIH funding, with roughly 1/3 the funding of neuro / neuropsych disease and less funding than infectious disease. cancer is well funded largely because of profit motives, and profit-driven groups are the ones that get cancer drugs out of the lab and to patients. not ideal, but thats the status quo
http://newbio.tech/blog/vc_basics_1.html