It is time to think different, forty years of cancer funding have produced disappointing results overall. This is a common feeling in the cancer community. Obviously, this is not completely true. Even if we stand far away from winning the war, we can now thinking of cancer as many different genetic diseases, rationally design drugs, and prolong lives for years as for a chronic illness. In some case, we can definitely cure it, but prevention, rather then treatments helped. Anyhow, results we see are the sum of many little steps. The point is that they might be too little to make the difference. Actually, the way grant system works, induces researcher to propose projects reviewer know will be successful. None wants to fund a fishing expedition without results. But if you already know what you expect the yield of your discovery is more likely to be low. Obama Stimuls Package faced this challenge, a once in a lifetime chance to foster groundbreaking research. But it  should also be a good opportunity to re-think of the way we fund research. We won't go to the moon with a bus ticket.

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NY Times on cancer funding