Obama to propose individualized-medicine research institute

(Image credit: William Thomas Cain/Getty Images)

On Friday, President Obama will unveil a proposal for a federal biomedical research institute aimed at developing treatments tailored to individual patients' genetics and other characteristics. White House officials tell The New York Times that the "precision medicine initiate" will require an initial investment of $215 million, which will be included in Obama's proposed fiscal 2016 budget. Such personalized treatments are expected to be especially important in fighting cancer. When Obama broached the idea for the institute in his State of the Union address, it was one of the points to receive some bipartisan support.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.