From the Publisher

One of the key drivers of the longer, healthier lives enjoyed by much of the world’s population over the past century has been the amazing advances in biomedical research and public health. The Milken Institute is proud to play a continuing role in these efforts, especially through our power of convening. Here are examples from 14 years ago – and one from today.

In 2011, our FasterCures team gathered at Lake Tahoe a cross-sector group – including heads of the NIH and FDA, deans of leading medical schools, CEOs of global pharmaceuticals, philanthropists and innovators from peripheral industries – to address barriers to progress. The 2011 retreat took place during a time of significant political polarization. Yet participants from across the aisle including Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were able to find common ground on priorities that overcame divisive party politics.

One of the key recommendations was the creation of a new federal agency focused on bridging the gap between scientific discoveries and real-world treatments. Within months, Congress created and funded the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, demonstrating that even in a tangled political landscape, a coalition of enlightened leaders can set aside differences and deliver real-world impact.

The questions posed then are even more urgent today. Scientific tools ranging from AI-enabled drug design to real-time diagnostics are advancing rapidly, but many of our systems for evaluating and disseminating them remain slow and fragmented. How do we modernize our infrastructure? How do we align public and private incentives to ensure that breakthroughs reach patients?

To address these challenges, and to encourage the search for the understanding that made the Tahoe gathering a success, the Institute convened another group of leaders in September at the Milken Center in Washington. The meeting brought together experts from across disciplines to collaborate on ways to reimagine how the U.S. biomedical research and innovation ecosystem can accelerate scientific research, translation, market approval, patient access and public health.

This year’s gathering took place in a time of deep partisan divide and public confusion regarding public health and the roles of the private and public sectors in health policy. Yet participants once again found common ground – and offered our colleagues in the MI Health group some concrete next steps as we help guide U.S. biomedical leadership in the years ahead. As before, we can expect the achievements in biomedicine in one country will be of benefit to the entire world.

Conrad Kiechel, Publisher