Just Introduced in Congress: Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0

Great news! The bipartisan Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 was just re-introduced in both houses of Congress.

In the U.S. Senate, the legislation was introduced today by Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Mark Warner (D-VA). The House version (H.R. 3391) was introduced yesterday with 23 original cosponsors, including Reps. Jennifer Wexton (VA-10), Tom Cole (OK-04), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), and Debbie Dingell (MI-06). We hope you'll join us in thanking these offices for their leadership as childhood cancer champions!

This bill will build upon the successes of the original 2014 legislation, which has invested more than $100 million in childhood cancer research and is currently set to sunset in 2023.

Cancer remains the number one disease killer of children, and some pediatric cancers remain terminal upon diagnosis or relapse. This legislation is named for Gabriella Miller, a 10-year-old cancer activist who passed away in 2013 from a terminal brain tumor known as DIPG. Fittingly, today - May 17th - is DIPG Awareness Day.

Thousands of children will be diagnosed this year and progress in research is almost entirely dependent on federal funding. The Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program at the NIH is making a real difference in driving research progress forward. 

Because of this program, NIH was able to develop the Kids First Data Resource Center, a large-scale shared data resource to help researchers better understand the biology and genetic pathways of pediatric diseases like rare cancers. The 2.0 version of the legislation will enable this collaborative foundational research to continue for five more years, ensuring that critical, life-saving research progress continues without interruption at the NIH. 

We encourage you to reach out to your Members of Congress this week to let them know about this legislation and ensure that it has strong kick-off momentum.