[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 26, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONGRATULATING TGEN ON THEIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. TRENT FRANKS

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 26, 2012

  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues from Arizona 
in commending the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) for 
a decade of biomedical research success.
  TGen was founded in Arizona in 2002 to leverage new scientific 
discoveries from the mapping of the human genome, and its establishment 
promptly accelerated the state into the era of genomics and 
personalized medicine.
  Mr. Speaker, significant to TGen's establishment was the confluence 
of support from all sectors of the state to attract this new institute 
to base its operations in Arizona, as well as recruit the renowned 
geneticist Dr. Jeffrey Trent to lead it, and position the state as a 
worldwide leader in bioscience and medical discovery. Academic, 
business, philanthropic, and government leaders all joined forces in a 
statewide campaign to strategically assemble the necessary support.
  What most excited Arizona leaders was the vision put forth by Dr. 
Jeff Trent, to accelerate and translate scientific discovery into more 
immediate and effective benefits for patients, all made possible with 
the new information from the human genome and rapidly developing 
technology.
  Mr. Speaker, it was on this day ten years ago, June 26, 2002, with 
high expectations and hopes, that Governor Hull and state leaders 
announced the successful launch of TGen and the genomics era in 
Arizona. A decade of exciting growth and new research discoveries has 
since transpired.
  Investment into TGen and the biosciences spurred growth across the 
state, catalyzing the launch of the Critical Path Institute and Bio5 in 
southern Arizona, Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, a 
northern Phoenix bio campus, TGen North and the expansion of W.L. Gore 
in northern Arizona. The bioindustry has flourished over the past ten 
years, even during economic downturns, becoming a significant high-
performing sector of the Arizona economy.
  For patients, TGen is offering hope where there had been none, with 
novel treatments offered only in Arizona. By partnering with clinical 
entities like the Mayo Clinic and Scottsdale Healthcare, TGen is 
focusing on utilizing genomic analyses to improve and customize patient 
treatments. Patients with pancreatic cancer and rare diseases like 
basal cell carcinoma are finding answers to their treatment struggles, 
improving quality of patient lives and allowing more years to spend 
with loved ones. Whether it's sequencing anthrax or the plague, 
investigating H1N1 or Valley Fever; finding new clues to triple-
negative breast cancer or Alzheimer's disease; or, leading new 
collaborative research partnerships addressing pediatric and canine 
cancers, TGen's research has made substantial inroads over the past ten 
years.
  More than a decade ago, the mapping of the human genome represented a 
challenge to the world to make use of this new knowledge for the 
benefit of humankind. Arizona answered this challenge and now TGen is a 
leading model for fusing modern medicine with the power of 
translational research to fuel the next wave of treatments for all 
manner of human diseases.
  Mr. Speaker, as the tenth-year anniversary of TGen's launch is 
celebrated today, I applaud Dr. Trent and the scientists at TGen for 
their unwavering commitment to make a difference for patients and lead 
innovative research for Arizona into the next decade.

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