[Carey,
Thanks for adding NIH web page info. I got distracted while posting that message!
There are various reasons as to why scientific progress is so slow, I feel some of the bottle necks can be overcome with effort. You stated where patients can help, thanks and I am looking forward to hearing more about your Alpha project!

From R&D point of view, I think its time to have not-for-profit pharma, similar to OneWorld Health based in SAn Francisco. Take a look at their web page if you are interested. www.oneworldhealth.org.

girija