Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 5.djvu/1074

 114 STAT. 3088 PUBLIC LAW 106-580—DEC. 29, 2000 Public Law 106-580 106th Congress Dec. 29, 2000 [H.R. 1795] National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Establishment Act 42 ilSC 201 note. 42 USC 285r note. An Act To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the "National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering Establishment Act". SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress makes the following findings: (1) Basic research in imaging, bioengineering, computer science, informatics, and related fields is critical to improving health care but is fundamentally different from the research in molecular biology on which the current nationed research institutes at the National Institutes of Health ("NIH") are based. To ensure the development of new techniques and technologies for the 21st century, these disciplines therefore require an identity and research home at the NIH that is independent of the existing institute structure. (2) Advances based on medical research promise new, more effective treatments for a wide variety of diseases, but the development of new, noninvasive imaging techniques for earlier detection and diagnosis of disease is essential to take full advantage of such new treatments and to promote the general improvement of health care. (3) The development of advanced genetic and molecular imaging techniques is necessary to continue the current rapid pace of discovery in molecular biology. (4) Advances in telemedicine, and teleradiology in particular, are increasingly important in the delivery of high quality, reliable medical care to rural citizens and other underserved populations. To fulfill the promise of telemedicine and related technologies fully, a structure is needed at the NIH to support basic research focused on the acquisition, transmission, processing, and optimal display of images. (5) A number of Federal departments and agencies support imaging and engineering research with potential mediceJ applications, but a central coordinating body, preferably housed at the NIH, is needed to coordinate these disparate efforts and facilitate the transfer of technologies with medical applications. (6) Several breakthrough imaging technologies, including magnetic resonsmce imaging ("MRI") and computed tomography

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