Health research hub

Genetic research already has produced helpful results with regards to cancer treatment. It has, for example, broken down the different kinds of breast cancer, which obviously affects the kinds of treatments offered and their effectiveness. UNC-Chapel Hill is considered a leader in the field, which is why it will be getting one of the largest grants from federal stimulus money to continue research into how cancer grows and spreads.

The university is one of 12 research institutions in the United States to receive a Cancer Genome Atlas Grant for such purposes. All this is part of the Human Genome Project, which seeks to determine a "blueprint" of human DNA. That could lead to advances in treating all kinds of diseases.

UNC-Chapel Hill received more than $60 million in stimulus money from the National Institutes of Health, allocated among 186 different grants. Duke University got more than $75 million for 181 grants. RTI International, a think tank in the famed Research Triangle Park, got 10 grants. It is fitting that UNC-CH has just opened a huge cancer center and Duke has announced plans for one.

It's important that despite a frustrating, even frightening, recession that has hit virtually every business and institution public or private, medical research that has been a hallmark of scientific advancement in this country must continue to march forward. Research builds upon research, after all, and one productive discovery leads to another.

In the case of cancer, some forms that not that many years ago would have had a dismal and even hopeless prognosis now are being treated. Some of those advancements are the results of new drugs, and some better treatments have come about because of more advanced surgeries. The same might be said of other diseases, and stem cell research, among other avenues, offers much potential for better treatment and even cures.

The point is that a country to which the world looks for cutting-edge research must maintain momentum. Stimulus money is a blessing in this area. And in the Triangle, so is the fact that our universities are so well-regarded that they can compete for life-changing grants.