Biomedical research may get a boost
Andrew Ross Sorkin, Jason Karaian, Sarah Kessler, Stephen Gandel, Michael J. de la Merced, Lauren Hirsch and
Research in the early “translational” stage, when basic findings are applied to potential treatments, has long been notoriously difficult to finance. The pandemic has made matters worse. But relief may be on the way. While a bill to create government-backed bonds to finance private research — known as BioBonds — did not advance in the House of Representatives, the financial analyst behind the idea, Karen Petrou, is in talks with the White House, which is creating a new agency to speed up research and cures. Called ARPA-H and modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the proposal has broad bipartisan support, according to a recent Morning Consult poll. So do BioBonds, Petrou said, adding that she hopes Congress will pass the measures early next year. (The White House did not respond to a request for comment).
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/23/business/dealbook/optimism-good-news-2021-2022.html