Almost daily we are hearing of breakthroughs in medical research.  Just this week, a Food and Drug Administration panel approved gene therapy in the treatment of some leukemia cases. As well, a report recently showed that researchers are looking at the implications of stem cell transplants in their bids to address neurological and auto-immune diseases.

Just prior to these announcements the public became aware of “immunotherapy” when former President Jimmy Carter underwent such procedures for the treatment of a brain tumor.

Meanwhile, such procedures as hip replacement are now greatly advanced to produce quicker recoveries and less time in the hospital. And many of us know how much improved gall bladder surgery has become.

And from what we read on various health-care websites such as the Mayo and Johns Hopkins research arms, it appears many new treatments and procedures may be just around the corner.

All that said, now is not the time to be reducing medical research funds in our national budget as some of our “leaders” have discussed.

We know that health care has become a political football that has created much division among our national leaders. That’s very unfortunate and sad. As someone has pointed out in our Rants and Raves column on this page that it appears very little governing has been going on because most of the time is being consumed with addressing scandals and investigations of key players at our nation’s helm. Again, sad and unfortunate.

Hopefully, these medical research funds will not be diminished from their current levels.

Our guess is that our lawmakers have constituents, if not their own families, who await anxiously for these aforementioned breakthroughs.

At every chance, we should demand from our federal lawmakers that they put their shoulders to the wheel in this issue, and keep those funds intact if not increased.