00:00We're here tonight because we had an extraordinary opportunity to help an
00:04infant child named KJ who was born with a devastating genetic disorder. He was
00:09treated with a personalized gene editing therapy we made just for him in the six
00:15months after he was born and all signs so far point to the treatment turning
00:20his life-threatening disease into a milder more manageable condition. We're
00:24simply one link in a very long chain and of course no part of that long chain
00:29could have been forged without strong support from the federal government.
00:32Funding from the National Institutes of Health was essential for all of the
00:36advances I mentioned. Equally important were the career staff at the Food and
00:40Drug Administration who worked closely with Becca and me to strike the right
00:44balance of rigor, flexibility, and speed in developing the therapy for KJ. Now is
00:49not the time to take the foot off the accelerator. Things are just starting to
00:53get interesting. Without question this nation needs to double down on its
01:04investment in the health of the American people. Thank you very much.
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