President announces Precision Medicine Initiative in State of the Union address

Finding a cure for diseases such as diabetes and cancer would be the focus of a new Precision Medicine Initiative proposed by President Barack Obama in his Jan. 20 State of the Union address. 

"Twenty-first century businesses will rely on American science, technology, research and development," the president said. "I want the country that eliminated polio and mapped the human genome to lead a new era of medicine — one that delivers the right treatment at the right time. In some patients with cystic fibrosis, this approach has reversed a disease once thought unstoppable." The new initiative, Obama added, "will give all of us access to the personalized information we need to keep ourselves and our families healthier." 

The president touched on healthcare, the economy, job security and benefits, national security, education, climate change and other topics in his wide-ranging remarks. "At every moment of economic change throughout our history, this country has taken bold action to adapt to new circumstances and to make sure everyone gets a fair shot," he said. "We set up worker protections, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to protect ourselves from the harshest adversity. We gave our citizens schools and colleges, infrastructure and the internet — tools they needed to go as far as their effort will take them," Obama added, proceeding to detail several proposals. 

Read his prepared remarks here. Watch his speech here.

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