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On Tuesday, December 13^th, the 21^st Century Cures Act was signed into law, making important investments in research and the development, and delivery of treatments and cures for a range of diseases. Included in the Act is money for the NIH to fund efforts in the Precision Medicine Initiative, the BRAIN Initiative, and Vice President Biden’s “Cancer Moonshot”. Additionally, funds are earmarked to help accelerate approval processes in order to bring new treatments to patients more quickly, as well as contribute to important reforms in the mental health system and address opioid addiction.

Joining the President, Vice President and select members of Congress for the signing of this momentous legislation were ӳ����ý researchers Sonia Vallabh and Eric Minikel. In 2011, when Sonia was 27, she tested positive for a genetic mutation that causes the prion disease that had taken her mother’s life. The husband and wife team abandoned their careers in law and city planning respectively to become biomedical researchers to try and find a cure for the disease.  

As Minikel notes in his , “The 21st Century Cures Act has become law, but there is much work yet to be done.” For more information on the 21^st Century Cures Act, visit .