Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel announced the awarding of a $799,986 grant for the Montefiore Medical Center from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the National Institute of Health (NIH). The grant is for ACTNOW, a cancer research and development program designed to study the accelerated clinical trials of novel oncologic pathways.

Rep. Engel said, “This money is provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which I am proud to have voted for earlier this year. It has provided millions of dollars to our district to facilitate job growth, educational development, scientific research and an overall boost to our local and national economy. Without ARRA, our economic situation would be dire rather than one beginning to show signs of recovery.”

“This is money which will help the outstanding personnel at Montefiore continue to provide quality health care to Bronx residents, and also enable them to better combat the long-term causes of disease,” said Rep. Engel. “The work being done to combat cancer, the dreaded killer of millions of Americans, is something well-deserving of funds and an endeavor which can only help our nation as we sort out our health care system. By one day finding a cure for cancer, we can not only save millions of lives, but also save millions of dollars in treatment.”

NIH funds biomedical research and research training at more than 3,000 institutions in the fifty states and territories.