Trending News Today: Huge Grant Awarded for Cancer Immunotherapy Research

A fund of $250 million was given to 40 laboratories and 6 cancer research centers by Sean Parker, Napster cofounder, in order to develop cancer immunotherapies. Researchers will collaborate and share their research, coordinate clinical trials, establish common tissue banks, and have licensing deals with pharmaceutical companies, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The federal government must provide care to American Indians and Alaska Natives, who are provided with care through Indian Health Service. This program is chronically underfunded according to Kaiser Health News. The organization receives a predetermined amount of money for the 2.2 million people who receive care under the organization. No matter how much care is needed each year, the organization receives the set amount.

Medical experts and nonprofit organizations are encouraging hospitals to get rid of their outdated procedures and questionnaires for opioids. According to the New York Times, these groups claim that the current system encourages overprescribing drugs such as Vicodin and OxyContin. This is sparked by the 19,000 prescription opioid-related deaths reported in 2014 by the CDC.