FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Claudia Salas Briggs
916-385-4705 claudia@csbriggsconsulting.com
Measure will provide funding to advance life-saving research to prevent and cure diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease – in our lifetime
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Immunology Medical Research & Cures Initiative officially qualified for the November 2026 statewide ballot, with county officials reporting having certified more than 601,317 signatures needed to qualify via random sample. This bond measure gives California voters the opportunity to advance life-saving research and cures for the most debilitating diseases facing millions of California families.
The bond measure will provide $8.4 billion in vital funding for California-based public and nonprofit universities and medical research institutions to conduct research for cutting-edge immunotherapies to prevent and cure debilitating diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, neurodegenerative and autoimmune disorders, and other serious illnesses affecting millions of families.
The measure is supported by a broad coalition of patient advocacy and scientific organizations, including the Alzheimer’s Association, Blood Cancer United, American Nurses Association of California, the ALS Association, the Parkinson Association of Northern California, City of Hope and many others.
“The initiative is a meaningful opportunity to advance the science that could prevent and cure Alzheimer’s disease,” said Ken Toren, Executive Director in Northern California for the Alzheimer’s Association/AIM. “Immunology research is helping unlock how the brain and immune system interact — knowledge critical to the next generation of treatments. The Alzheimer’s Association urges Californians to vote yes in November.”
Immunotherapies are a form of medical treatments that harness the body’s own immune system to recognize and stop diseases. In recent years, breakthrough immunotherapies have been developed that prevent and fight cancers like melanoma, lung cancer, certain leukemias and lymphomas, and more.
“Blood Cancer United, the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to supporting blood cancer patients, research and advocacy, strongly supports the California Immunology Research & Cures Initiative,” said Adam Zarrin, Blood Cancer United’s Director of State Government Affairs. “Breakthroughs in cancer and chronic disease depend on sustained, reliable investment. This measure will strengthen California’s research and clinical trial infrastructure, helping ensure patients can access cutting-edge therapies sooner while accelerating the search for cures.”
The measure comes at a critical moment as uncertainty in federal research funding threatens scientific progress, delays clinical trials and puts future medical breakthroughs at risk.
“Immunotherapy saved my life,” said Laurie Adami, Cancer Pioneer and Patient Advocate. “I was just weeks away from losing my life when a breakthrough treatment gave me a second chance. Patients and families cannot afford for this research to slow down.”
More than 145 immunotherapies have already been approved by the FDA, with thousands more currently in development worldwide.
“Breakthrough immunotherapies are already saving lives,” said Dr. Gary Michelson, physician, inventor and philanthropist. “Patients who once had no options are living longer today because researchers continued pushing science forward. This initiative will help California remain at the forefront of developing cures and life-saving treatments for generations to come.”
ABOUT THE MEASURE
- Provides $8.4 billion to California-based public and nonprofit universities and nonprofit medical research facilities specializing in immunology to research the prevention, treatment, and cure for the debilitating diseases facing millions of families.
- Dedicates half of funds specifically for cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s research and cures.
- Promotes scientific collaboration to develop treatments and cures for other serious diseases, including Parkinson’s, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), HIV/AIDS, muscular dystrophy and other serious medical conditions.
- Designed to repay the bonds and offset costs for the state and taxpayers. Ten percent (10%) of funds from the licensing of immunotherapies will be returned to the state to offset the total costs of the bonds including interest.
- Mandates strong accountability and transparency requirements, including limiting state administrative costs to no more than 2%, requiring that all grant funds be spent directly on medical research, rigorous conflict of interest rules, public disclosure of spending, and independent financial audits.
- Provides 20% discounts for Californians. Any treatments developed under this measure must be offered to Californians at a minimum 20% discount, relative to the national average.
- Positions California as the national leader in cutting-edge medical research, generating tens of billions of dollars in economic value and creating tens of thousands of high-paying life sciences jobs.
“For families waiting for breakthroughs, this is about hope,” Michelson said. “The science is real. The progress is real. And the need to continue this research has never been more urgent.”
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Emerging insights from immunology are reshaping how we understand ALS and where new treatments may come from. This measure is a critical step toward accelerating research that can meaningfully slow disease progression.”
— Melanie Lendnal, Senior Vice President, Policy & Advocacy at the ALS Association
“The immune system holds one of the most promising pathways to curing diseases that have long evaded treatment. Major initiatives are needed to turn that emerging science into real-world solutions faster — bringing us closer to therapies that save lives.”
— Elaine Y. Hsiao, Ph.D., Professor and Leading Immunology and Brain Health Researcher
“Immunotherapies are an incredible medical innovation that has helped to extend the lives of kidney cancer patients. Our goal is to keep up the momentum through continued research in hopes of saving even more lives.”
— Gretchen E. Vaughan, President and CEO of the Kidney Cancer Association
GROWING COALITION OF SUPPORTERS:
ALS Association
ALS Network
Alzheimer’s Association/AIM
Alzheimer’s Los Angeles
Alzheimer’s Orange County
Alzheimer’s San Diego
American Nurses Association of California
Asian Pacific Islander Forward Movement
Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration
Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
Blood Cancer United
California Black Health Network
California Colorectal Cancer Coalition
California Human Development
Center for Employment and Training
Central Valley Opportunity Center
City of Hope
Comité de Acción del Valle
FirstDay Foundation
Focused Ultrasound Foundation
GO2 for Lung Cancer
Head and Neck Cancer Alliance
International Myeloma Foundation
Kidney Cancer Association
La Cooperativa Campesina de California
Liver Coalition
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Parkinson Association of Northern California
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Research!America
Social Equity LA
Via Care Community Health Center
Wonder Wood Ranch
*Partial list