The “Cures” bill aims to advance the development of medical treatments and cures by funding medical science and streamlining how new therapies are developed and approved. In addition, the bill addresses the opioid epidemic and strengthens patient access to mental health services.

“This exciting news reinforces the decisions made by Intermountain Healthcare leadership,” says Assistant Vice President of Research, Raj Srivastava. “Substantial investments have been made to answer questions around precision genomics, mental health integration, trying to solve Utah’s significant opioid addiction problem, and appreciating social determinants of health that impact readmissions. It’s good to know we’re aligned with these national clinical research priorities, and hopefully Intermountain can benefit from additional available resources.”

The bill authorizes $4.8 billion to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to find new initiatives around precision medicine, cancer, neuroscience, and regenerative medicine. $1 billion in state grant money will go towards the opioid misuse problem, and the bill will provide $500 million over 10 years to the FDA to facilitate the development of new drugs and devices, as well as modernizing clinical trials and the development of evidence.

Over a 10-year period, 1.8 billion of the funds allocated to the NIH will go to Vice President Joe Biden's "Cancer Moonshot" project, — renamed "The Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot.” Joe, devastated by his son’s death, created the initiative with the goal to accelerate cancer research and finding a cure.

Over the years, Intermountain researchers have been involved in many thousands of studies across dozens of clinical specialties. The discoveries that come out of these studies improve Intermountain’s patient care in our facilities, as well as advance medical knowledge within the healing profession.

To find out more about Intermountain Healthcare Research and the advancement of medical knowledge in many clinical areas visit intermountainresearch.org