Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Welcomes Harold Varmus, M.D. to the National Cancer Institute

WASHINGTON, D.C. July 12, 2010 – Susan G. Komen for the Cure® today welcomed Dr. Harold Varmus back to the National Institutes of Health as the director of the National Cancer Institute.

“We look forward to working with Dr. Varmus and his team on his agenda for change including strengthening and streamlining the research process so new discoveries move from the lab to patients’ bedsides as quickly and safely as possible,” said Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

“Dr. Varmus’ focus on clinical trials reform and his understanding and management of the scientific enterprise specifically the intramural program and innovation in the fields of the ‘omics’ (genomics, proteonomics), will ensure that we will harness the best of the scientific thinking today to build on the platform of personalized medicine for patients,” Brinker said. “Dr. Varmus will be pivotal in keeping America as a leader in scientific advances.”

As Dr.Varmus begins to implement his vision for NCI, Komen for the Cure hopes he will:

• Establish more dynamic and collaborative relationships between public and private institutions;
• Continue to be a champion of open access to scientific information;
• Establish new ways of working with industry and regulatory bodies to quickly bring medicines to patients as safely and effectively as possible;
• Establish new ways of conducting trials and working with cooperative groups to refine the biggest questions in cancer science;
• Energize research conducted by NCI itself;
• Improve work and communication between NIH and NCI in order to bring the best minds of all sciences to bear on cancer issues, and
• Create renewed interest around scientific careers, to develop a new generation of cancer researchers.