Staff Report
The fight against cancer will make small steps unless scientists get funding to take risks with their research on the disease, a UNM researcher said.
Michelle Ozbun said a lack of federal funding allows researchers to take on only small projects with little risks, but projects with big risks are the ones that pay off.
"You can really go out on a limb, and that's where you make great leaps in science," she said. "Not all of them work, but the odds are one or two of them will be worth it."
Ozburn spoke at a news conference Thursday at the American Federation of Teachers New Mexico office at 8009 Mountain Road Place N.E.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The conference was held to urge Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domenici to support Senate Bill 1710, an appropriations bill that would allocate about $35 billion for cancer research.
The Labor Health and Human Services-Education Bill also has appropriations for UNM, including $357 million for health professional education, $167 million for nursing and $3.7 million health education facilities.
"For New Mexico, this funding means an investment in our economy," said Christine Trujillo, president of the New Mexico Federation of Labor. "These are the key programs we need in New Mexico."
President Bush proposed a $286 million cut in cancer research funding for the 2008 budget. Bill 1710 would increase funding by $912 million, and Bush has threatened to veto it.
If Bush is successful, this would be the fourth year in a row cancer research funding has declined, Ozbun said.
Death rates from cancer dropped about 2 percent from 2002 to 2004, said Marylou Kraemer, a breast cancer survivor.
"I am very aware of the need for cancer research funding," she said.
Kraemer said the rates won't continue to go down if the bill doesn't pass.
"I fear we will be begin to see a reverse in these positive trends," she said.
Ozbun said that because funding is scarce, she has to work hard to get research money.
The situation is scaring students away from pursuing careers in cancer research, she said.
"Students see how hard I am struggling to get my grants funded," she said. "The people who are working in the labs spend more time asking for money than doing research."
