Scientific innovation keeps the United States great. It keeps you and your family healthy. However, the early action of the Trump administration at the National Institute of Health threatens this important innovation.
The administration suddenly moved for the first day Freeze the regulation process of subsidies At the National Institute of Health, we confuse the internal science research of institutions.
When research is stopped or paused, it has a real impact on our lives. That means that the treatment of diabetes running with your family is delayed. It means how to expand your cancer and to understand how to stop it.
It means that it is far away from being able to diagnose and develop a new treatment for Alzheimer's disease. And we continue to lose addictive siblings, sisters, and children, as the efforts to find better treatment for drug abuse and addiction are delayed.
NIH is the world's largest biological medicine research institution and distributes more than $ 30 billion grants every year. Taxpayers have gained excellent benefits to this investment.
Purely and economically, the $ one spent by NIH to provide funds to the investigation creates almost $ 2.50 in economic activities. analysis Unified, universities, medical associations, patient advocacy organizations, and private industries for medical research. This fund supports more than 400,000 employments nationwide in all states.
But the biggest return is the research itself.
Think about health damage that has recently grabbed headlines: bird flu. Super processed food. Lonely. alcohol. Social media. Micro plastic. Spring fire. Many other labs scientists nationwide rely on NIH's funds to understand these problems and have the potential to affect each of us and those they love. I understand.
In fact, the financing of NIH has driven a science that led to all 210 new treatments approved between 2010 and 2016. According to a survey released in 2018。 Since then, there is no reason to believe that the effectiveness has completely decreased.
NIH will also provide funds to the training program that provides next -generation scientists to identify and work on the threat of tomorrow's health.
It is not unusual for a new administration to impose a short pause in some activities in the federal agency while the appointment is in operation. But this week was unprecedented.
The administration canceled a subsidy review meeting known as the “research section” and was literally scheduled a few years ago. One researcher I told the statistics Her research section was completed in the middle of the meeting. Without these research sections, new subsidies cannot move forward. This helps guarantee that the most promising research road is funded.
If the process is restarted within 1-2 weeks, confusion can be managed. However, scientists who rely on NIH's funds, maintain equipment, and conduct experiments to pay for the team, may not only lose the ground, but also leave the field. 。 Or, international scientists working in the United States will have a more miserable result in US health research, although they will be pierced.
a Research released last year The suspension of financing for more than 30 days has been discovered that it has a meaningful impact on scientific labor at the national level. This impact is highly difficult for early career scientists and trainees, that is, those who rely on the world to provide next -generation innovative treatments.
In addition to the freezing of the external subsidy review, we saw it A troublesome report Scientists working in NIH have blocked purchases, including the basic equipment necessary to keep the lab operation. Temporary travel ban for all health and welfare staff has led to an important meeting, such as intended gathering, has been canceled. It spurs the development of AI diagnosis Identify rare diseases.
Obviously, we hope that management will be frozen, re -schedule communication, travel, and freezing of the purchase, lifting the research section that has been canceled as soon as possible, so that the subsidy process can be restarted. Masu. But “how” is as important as “when”.
Academic has many complaints about the NIH subsidy process. However, it has been designed and sophisticated at the top of scientific and strict heart for many years. The goal is not only to study important questions, but also to support labs that create meaningful results aimed at improving health while cooperating with the highest level of consistency. These criteria must be at the forefront of financing decisions, not political considerations.
We know that protecting and improving people's health is a priority for many people in the government. I hope the President and his candidates will recognize how important NIH is for its mission.
NIH is a gold standard for biological medicine research around the world. It is an economic engine, promoting scientific discoveries that help family prosper, and parents aging with dignity, seeing their children grow up. We must cooperate to protect this important engine of scientific progress.
John Quackenbush is a professor and chairman of Harvard University's THCHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC Health. S. Brin Austin is a professor and provisional co -chair of the Chance School's Faculty of Social Sciences.
