Gov. Perry tells conference he has dual interests in cancer research

Speaking Nov. 1 at the Texas Life Science Conference at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM), Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he has both personal and professional reasons for supporting the $3 billion bond proposal for cancer research which was approved by Texas voters on the Nov. 6.

Several members of his family have been affected by the disease that claims the lives of an estimated 35,000 Texans annually, Perry said.

As for the professional reasons, Perry said he would like to see Texas play an even larger role in cancer research and to continue to recruit leading scientists. “There will be people here who 10 or 15 years ago never thought they would be living in the Lone Star State,” he predicted.

Perry described cancer research both as an investment in saving lives and a way to drive investment dollars into the state.

The annual conference, sponsored by BioHouston and hosted this year at the IMM, brings together leading researchers, emerging companies and many of the life sciences industry's venture capitalists from around the country to learn about promising developments in the field.

Perry signed House Bill (HB) 14 into law June 13 creating the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and dedicating $300 million in general obligation bonds to annually fund scientific research aimed toward finding a cure for cancer.

Funding for HB 14 was dependant on the constitutional amendment voted on as Proposition 15 Nov. 6. Voters authorized $3 billion in general obligation bonds for use during a span of 10 years. Now that it is funded, the bill’s provisions take effect immediately. The first grants will become available in 2010, and funding is eligible to continue until Aug. 31, 2020.