You can be the future of healthcare?

Do you know a biomedical scientist? Chances are you do. She could be the woman you see in the park most weekends with her two little children and their dog running around, or the man who’s riding on your favorite mountain biking trails every Saturday. Maybe she is the young woman in your 6 a.m. yoga class every Tuesday who you’ve never said hi to. They look just like us, and we would never know they get up each weekday to help us and our loved ones live longer and healthier lives – because they know that #ScienceWorks.

Biomedical scientists are researching ways to transform the quality and type of health care we all receive. Can you imagine a world where it’s possible to find out what health conditions we are genetically at greatest risk of developing, being able to detect and diagnose them early, and have safe preventative, treatment and management options – all based on discoveries about our own unique bodies? Biomedical scientists can. That’s what many of them are spending their careers working on, to move toward a future of “personalized medicines.” The FDA has described personalized medicine as an innovative approach to tailoring disease prevention and treatment that takes into account differences in people’s genes, environments and lifestyles. The goal of personalized medicine is to target the right treatments to the right patients at the right time.

This treatment paradigm, this brighter healthcare future of personalized medicine, it is within our reach – but it needs our trust, encouragement and support. Our scientists have the ability to drive this new treatment paradigm from an idea to a reality. It is not an easy road they take. Before FDA approves any personalized medicine, it must meet rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness, typically requiring extensive pre-clinical research, clinical trials and quality manufacturing development.

The research required to get to where we can go is complex and lengthy. It also may be the greatest investment we ever make. In fact, scientific research is the great hope we have for a healthier future.

Can you imagine being able to anticipate and prevent a disease such as cancer, or detect it early to manage or cure it in ways that today might seem impossible? There’s a world for us where healthcare can be more efficient and more effective. This is the promise of biomedical science, fueled by its scientists. They know that #ScienceWorks, and it will work for our healthy future if we work toward policy solutions that continue to enable this research and innovation.

If you do know a biomedical scientist, or someone interested in pursuing a career in biomedical science, please thank them for what they do, or encourage them in their pursuit. The future needs them. They are our friends and neighbors in our parks, on our trails and in our yoga classes. They are also our heroes.

To learn more about #ScienceWorks and its incredible scientists, please visit www.scienceworks.us.