President Obama: Prioritize Science and Health in 2011

November 23, 2009 | by

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided $10 billion for biomedical research, including support for scientific research priorities, extramural construction/repairs/alterations, capital equipment, National Institutes of Health (NIH) buildings and facilities, and comparative effectiveness research [1].

This investment in the future of America’s health has revitalized the biomedical research community. Indeed, in June, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the Recovery Act drove a record number of NIH grant applications. The stimulus package provides available funds for two years, through September 2010.

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This Thanksgiving, Research!America — the nation’s largest non-profit public education and advocacy alliance for discoveries in health — urges everyone to Thank President Obama for Reprioritizing Science and Health. Before year’s end, the President will decide what funding to recommend for NIH. Research!America provides a pre-formatted letter that thanks President Obama for his recommitment to science and urges him to continue making science and health a priority in 2011.

There has been a trend of flat or below-inflation funding for the NIH since 2003. Investment in biomedical research will lead to new medical breakthroughs and discoveries that will benefit everyone by helping to fight disease and improve the quality of life for everyone in America.

Please take a moment to email President Obama and urge him to continue prioritizing science and health in 2011.

References

  1. NIH’s Role in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). National Institutes of Health. 2009 March 6.

Health Highlights – September 8th, 2009

September 9, 2009 | by

Health Highlights is a biweekly summary of particularly interesting articles from credible sources of health and medical information that we follow & read. For a complete list of recommeded sources, see our links page.

Health Highlights

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NIH to Hold Conference on Family History

August 11, 2009 | by

People who have family members with certain diseases are more likely to develop those diseases themselves. Indeed, many common disorders, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, have genetic, environmental, behavioral and lifestyle causes that are shared between family members and together contribute to an individual’s risk for developing disease.

A family health history is a written or graphic record of these factors and includes information on diseases and health conditions of biological relatives, the age at diagnosis, and the age and cause of death of deceased family members. Family health history information collected from patients has long been used by healthcare providers in the U.S. as a risk assessment tool, and has gained renewed attention with efforts in personalized medicine. Americans recognize the importance of family history to health. A recent survey found an overwhelming 96% of respondents believe their family history is important for their own health; nevertheless, only 30% have actively collected health information from their relatives to develop a family history [1].

Despite the widespread and longstanding use of family health history, important questions regarding the effectiveness of family history information for disease prediction and improvement of health outcomes remain.

Francis Collins Nominated to Head NIH

July 15, 2009 | by

Last week, President Barack Obama nominated physician and geneticist Francis Collins as the next Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) [1]. From 1993 — 2008, Dr. Collins was the first Director of the NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). He led the U.S. government’s Human Genome Project, which decoded the DNA sequence of 20,000 — 25,000 genes.

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In the past, Collins’ research laboratory at the University of Michigan has identified a number of important genes, including those responsible for neurofibromatosis, cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease and genes for adult onset (type 2) diabetes. More recently, Collins has been a proponent of personalized medicine or genomic medicine, which leverages specific genetic knowledge for the delivery of effective healthcare. Medscape interviewed him about genomic research and personalized medicine two years ago, where he said that incorporating individualized medicine into the mainstream will necessitate a change in healthcare economics. As NIH Director he will undoubtedly have a voice in the ongoing healthcare reform debate in Washington.

In his announcement on Wednesday, President Obama said [1]:

The National Institutes of Health stands as a model when it comes to science and research. My administration is committed to promoting scientific integrity and pioneering scientific research and I am confident that Dr. Francis Collins will lead the NIH to achieve these goals. Dr. Collins is one of the top scientists in the world, and his groundbreaking work has changed the very ways we consider our health and examine disease. I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead.

Recovery Act Drives Record Number of NIH Grant Applications

June 10, 2009 | by

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. It included significant support for biomedical research. As part of the Recovery Act, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) designated at least $200 million for a new initiative in fiscal year 2009 – 2010 called the NIH Challenge Grants in Health and Science Research (RC1). The initiative is designed to fund approximately 200 grants. Earlier this week, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced that the NIH has received approximately 20,000 Challenge Grant applications through the Recovery Act [1].

scientists-under-the-microscope

By way of comparison, the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) reviewed 27,360 Research Project Grants (R01s) and 9,483 Exploratory/Developmental Research Grants (R21s) for the entire year of 2008 [2]. Over the next few months, the CSR will check the submitted Challenge Grant applications for compliance and then review them in a two-phase process. Reviewers with expertise in the specific Challenge Areas (listed below) will do the first phase reviews, followed by a study section comprised of researchers who will focus on each application’s overall significance and impact. The earliest anticipated start date for those grants funded is September 30th, 2009.