In This Issue of The Research Advocate
From Washington
One Mind Forum Lays Out Plan for Neuroscience Research
Zerhouni Portrait Unveiled at NIH
Report: U.S. Lagging in University R&D
Judge Dismisses Stem Cell Lawsuit
Obama Administration Announces National Prevention Strategy
From Research!America
Policy Update: Congress, Administration Reach Debt Ceiling Agreement
Advocacy & Action
Global Health R&D Advocacy
Regular Features
Member Spotlight: Texas Biomedical Research Institute
President's Message
Special Thanks to New and Renewing Research!America Alliance Members
In the News
Download the entire July-August 2011 Research Advocate as a PDF.
Congress, Administration Reach Debt Ceiling Agreement
The White House and congressional leaders have reached a tentative compromise plan to raise the debt ceiling.
If approved, the deal would authorize the president to increase the debt limit by approximately $2.1 trillion, eliminating the need for any further increases until at least 2013. The deal would also set in motion federal budget cuts of about $1 trillion over 10 years by enacting annual caps on discretionary spending. A bipartisan committee would be charged with identifying an additional $1.5 trillion in spending cuts.
If this deal becomes law, the next step for policy makers is to determine exactly which federal programs will be cut, and by how much, to meet the spending caps.
The impact on health research funding depends on you and other advocates. We must convince Members of Congress that cutting health research spending is NOT a deficit reductions strategy-in fact, it's just the opposite. Research is needed to drive job- and revenue-producing innovation in our economy, to combat the spiraling costs of chronic illness and to promote the health, productivity and well-being of the American people.
Working together we can ensure health research remains a national priority. But to be successful, we must speak out, and we must speak out now.
Note: The Research Advocate went to press before the debt ceiling agreement was announced.
Advocacy & Action
Tell Congress: No More Budget Cuts
The recent budget deal for FY11 reduced the National Institutes of Health budget by over $300 million. The NIH director has reported that grant funding rates for the current fiscal year will be at an all-time low.
The NIH is critical to our nation's health, competitiveness and economic vitality. Act now to tell your representatives in Washington that further cuts to the NIH budget are unacceptable. Our nation needs robust support for health research now more than ever.
In addition to sending a message to your representatives, we ask that you pass this information on to others who will speak out in support of health research. The federal budget will continue to be a key issue and we need your help to make our message loud and clear in Washington. To send a message to Congress, please visit www.researchamerica.org/advocacy.
One Mind Forum Lays Out Plan for Neuroscience Research
The One Mind for Research Forum, held in Boston and featuring worldrenowned experts from academia government and industry, detailed a 10-year plan for neuroscience research that could bring new therapies and cures for neurological and psychiatric diseases.
The forum, organized by The Honorable Patrick Kennedy, coincided with the anniversary of former President John F. Kennedy's 1961 challenge to send a man to the moon within a decade. Vice President Joe Biden joined many current and former Members of Congress to speak at the event; National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, and Research!America board member Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, also spoke. Research!America President and CEO Mary Woolley presented closing remarks for the event.
One Mind's decade-long plan aims to unify brain researchers from across sectors and create partnerships toward the goal of a greater understanding of brain disorders. The group hopes to raise an additional $1.5 billion for brain research for each of the next 10 years while also reducing the cost of brain disease care by at least 10%.
Research!America and several of its members and partners-the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Council for American Medical Innovation, the Critical Path Institute, Johnson & Johnson and the Society for Neuroscience among them-are partner organizations of One Mind for Research.
Device Industry Announces Competitiveness Agenda
Two executives from the medical device industry announced a six-point "Competitiveness Agenda," which aims to streamline regulation and prevent the U.S. from being overtaken as a leader in medical technology.
Stephen J. Ubl, president and CEO of AdvaMed, and Stephen P. MacMillan, chairman, president and CEO of Stryker Corporation, unveiled the agenda during a gathering of civic and business leaders and employees at Stryker's headquarters in Kalamazoo, MI.
The agenda includes making life sciences innovation a government priority; reform of the Food and Drug Administration device review process; ensuring that public and private health insurance payments support medical innovation; reforming trade policy to ensure export growth; strategic tax policies, including improvements to the R&D tax credit; and improving America's R&D infrastructure.
Zerhouni Portrait Unveiled at NIH
The National Institutes of Health held a ceremony to present former director Elias Zerhouni, MD, with his official portrait, to be hung in one of the institutes.
Past and present institute leadership gathered for the ceremony, including NIHDirector Francis Collins, MD, PhD, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, MD, and National Cancer Institute Director Harold Varmus, MD. Zerhouni, a Research!America board member, had "both heart and spine [as he] nobly and courageously defended science" during his tenure, Collins said.
The portrait, by artist Steve Craighead, contains elements unique to Algerian-born Zerhouni, including the American flag, a globe showing North Africa, a diploma from the University of Algiers and an ancient Arab manuscript.
Zerhouni is now president of global research and development at sanofi, a Research!America member.
Report: U.S. Lagging in University R&D
A report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation found that university research funding in the U.S. is falling behind that of other industrialized nations.
The report found that in 2008, the U.S. ranked 22nd for governmentfunded university research, out of 30 countries tracked by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, slipping from 18th place, which it held from 2000-2008.
Despite the fact that U.S. investments for university research increased by 17% as a share of GDP invested from 2000-2008, it only amounted to an investment of 0.24% of its total GDP in university-based research in 2008, compared to the 0.34% invested by other OECD countries on average.
While the U.S. ranks 6th in overall competitiveness, it comes in dead last in the rate of change in competitiveness over the last decade, the report notes. This lack of change, the report states, means that the U.S. will trail behind countries that place a higher emphasis on university research.
Judge Dismisses Stem Cell Lawsuit
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that challenged government policy on funding for embryonic stem cell research.
Judge Royce C. Lamberth issued the announcement July 27, handing a victory to the National Institutes of Health in the case of Sherley v. Sebelius. The plaintiffs, James Sherley, MD, PhD, and Theresa Deisher, PhD, are expected to appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In August, Lamberth had ruled in favor of Sherley and Deisher and temporarily shut down federally funded ESCR. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an injunction shortly thereafter, allowing ESCR to resume. That same appellate court overturned Lamberth's injunction in April, allowing ESCR to continue while Lamberth ruled on the underlying merits of the case.
The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit based on the claim that currentESCR policy violated the Dickey-Wicker Amendment.
Obama Administration Announces
National Prevention Strategy
President Barack Obama's administration released its National Prevention Strategy, a framework designed to increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life. The strategy was developed by the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council, which is comprised of representatives from 17 federal agencies, including Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA as chair, and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. The council consulted with outside experts and stakeholders to devise the strategy.
Called for under the Affordable Care Act, the strategy aims to move the U.S. toward a health care system focused on prevention and includes actions that public and private partners can take to help Americans stay healthy.
The framework outlines four strategic directions to improve the nation's health: building healthy and safe community environments; expanding quality preventive services in both clinical and community settings; empowering people to make healthy choices; and eliminating health disparities.
It identifies seven priority areas to achieve these goals: tobacco-free living; preventing drug abuse and excessive alcohol use; healthy eating; active living; injury- and violence-free living; reproductive and sexual health; and mental and emotional well-being.
Member Spotlight: Texas Biomedical Research Institute
Texas Biomedical Research Institute was founded in 1941 by Thomas Slick, Jr. It was the first institution of its kind in Texas and the harbinger of extraordinary growth in San Antonio's biomedical sector, which today employs one of every six people in the city. The Institute has a staff of 385 people, including 75 doctoral-level scientists. Texas Biomed hosts one of eight National Primate Research Centers, a biosafety level-4 laboratory and the world's largest computer cluster devoted to human genetic analysis.
Located on 200 acres near downtown San Antonio, the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, formerly the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, is on a mission to build upon its strengths and enhance its research environment. In addition to a new name, Texas Biomed is planning 93,000 square feet of new research and support space, the initiation of a regenerative medicine program and the hiring of 10 additional faculty.
And that's on top of all that Texas Biomed already has-so much so that President and CEO Kenneth P. Trevett, JD, can't pick a favorite aspect of the facility.
"The combination of high-quality science and a unique combination of resources makes us a very impactful place," Trevett said.
Texas Biomed is developing new animal models for human disease; undertaking research in AIDS, hepatitis B and C, and, emerging infections; and pursuing genetic studies of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental illnesses, arthritis and cancer.
And for Trevett, Texas Biomed's membership with Research!America is an important way to help ensure that elected officials understand the value of research.
"Research!America is invaluable to an organization like ours because it sends continuous and informative messages about the importance of basic, translational and clinical research to decision makers," he said. "The polling conducted by Research!America demonstrating continuing and strong public support for the research enterprise is a powerful tool that reflects national, and bipartisan, priorities."
President's Message
Not so many years ago, summertime was greatly feared as a time of heightened susceptibility to polio; children were routinely denied entry to public swimming pools and kept away from summer activities at fairs and carnivals. Medical research changed all that forever with the introduction of the polio vaccine. This summer, a different but equally compelling fear is stalking us-the very real possibility of budget cuts to research severe enough to shutter labs, put researchers out of work and set progress back by years, if not decades. Patients-and their family members who care for them-would just have to wait.
It is apparent that the voices of research leaders, evidence of economic impact and widespread public support are not enough to dissuade those in Congress who are determined to slash the budgets of agencies that have the word "government" appended. What is needed now is increased, vocal, persistent advocacy by large numbers of people-advocacy capable of competing with other interests clamoring for attention this summer.
For the first time in Research!America's 22-year history, we are asking all those whom we reach- members and everyone each member reaches-to either personally participate in advocacy for research or send a financial contribution to us for use in ramping up an aggressive advocacy campaign in key parts of the country in the weeks ahead. If you can do both- participate and send a contribution- so much the better! Let us hear from you today; contact Ellie Dehoney, our vice president for policy and programs at edehoney@researchamerica.org.
Media Matters
Spotlight on Research Partners Forums
Research!America and Northeast Ohio Medical University held a forum on research and Ohio's economy that received coverage in the Akron Beacon Journal, twice in the Record Courier (Ravenna, OH), and the news service Akron News Now. Research!America's forum on science communication with the University of
Maryland and Pfizer Inc. was featured in Nature's blog, From the Lab Bench.
Research!America's Leadership Interviewed
Research!America's chair, former Congressman John Edward Porter, talked about his work in Congress that led to the doubling of the NIH budget in the journal Oncology Times. He warned against partisan politics that stall research funding decisions. He was also quoted in Nature-affiliated EMBO reports: "It's time for both parties to stand up for the country and find solutions to our problems. The only way to do that is to invest where we lead the world and that's in science."
Research!America's Mary Woolley discussed cognitive biases that can influence scientists' research decisions with The Scientist. She said the structure of the peer review process is designed to minimize such biases. She commented on the current political landscape for research for Bloomberg Government and warned that the
U.S. risks losing ground in global competitiveness if it scales back its investment in research. She also talked about the importance of sustaining National Institutes of Health funding in a Nature Medicine article.
Research!America Board Members in the News
Victor Dzau, MD, chancellor for health affairs at Duke University and a Research!America board member, was part of a Bloomberg TV panel moderated by broadcast journalist Charlie Rose. Dzau\ and co-panelists Craig Barrett, PhD, former chair and CEO of Intel; Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of the WPP Group; and William Overholt, PhD, senior research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, discussed innovation and research. Rose received a 2011 Research!America Advocacy Award.
Evan Jones, managing member of jVen Capital and also a
Research!America board member, was profiled in The Washington Post, where he recounted his career in the medical research field. He said his two mentors were his grandfather, who founded the company that later became Jones New York, and his stepfather Jack Whitehead, founder of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and co-founder of Research!America.
Global Health Research Update
Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) authored a guest post in The Hill's Congress Blog about the 21st Century Global Health Technology Act. He cited Research!America data on the economic impact of global health research in New Jersey to demonstrate the importance of supporting this bill.
Michael Cassidy, president of the Georgia Research Alliance, wrote an editorial in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the importance of investing in research and innovation. "As we grapple with the structural challenges to our national and state budgets," he wrote, "a new economic paradigm compelled by innovation and technology could help us escape the budget trap."
Global Health R&D Advocacy
Research!America, the Global Health Council and PATH hosted a Capitol Hill briefing June 6. The event showcased the cost-effectiveness of vaccines for global health and highlighted how innovative public- and private-sector research and development partnerships can lead to significant breakthroughs in the global health arena. Panelists included Lewellys Barker, MD, senior medical advisor at Aeras; Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute; and Marc LaForce, MD, director of the Meningitis Vaccine Project at PATH. Eileen Quinn of PATH moderated the briefing. All three panelists work for or with product development partnerships (PDPs). These nonprofit organizations work with partners in the public and private sectors to research, develop and foster access to new health technologies that target diseases disproportionately affecting impoverished populations and developing countries.
The panelists discussed how PDPs collaborate with public- and private-sector partners to develop and deliver vaccines against global killers, like meningitis, tuberculosis and other neglected diseases of poverty, more efficiently than any one partner could do alone. The PDP model saves lives, improves health and can reduce costs over traditional vaccine R&D. Increasing vaccination in 72 countries over the next decade would prevent 6.4 million deaths and save $6.2 billion in treatment costs, according to a recent analysis in Health Affairs.
Special Thanks to Renewing Research!America Alliance Members
New members
Akron General Medical Center
Humility of Mary Health Partners
Jackson Gabriel Silver Foundation
Kids v Cancer
Medical Device Manufacturer's Association
Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education
Orexigen Therapeutics
WebMD Health Corp.
Renewing members
Academy of Radiology Research
American College of Medical Genetics
American Dental Education Association
American Heart Association
American Medical Association
American Pain Society
American Society of Hypertension
Arizona State University College of Nursing & Health Innovation
Association for Psychological Science
Association of American Cancer Institutes
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
Association of Schools of Public Health
AstraZeneca
Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron
The California Wellness Foundation
Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce
Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine
Coalition for Imaging and Bioengineering Research
Community Health Charities
Genetics Policy Institute
Georgetown University Medical Center
Hereditary Disease Foundation
Howard University College of Dentistry
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Life Technologies
The Lymphatic Research Foundation
McLaughlin Research Institute
National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
Nebraska Coalition for Lifesaving Cures
National Postdoctoral Association
NorTech
Northwest Association for Biomedical Research
Oral Health America
Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy
Rice University
Society for Pediatric Research
Union of Concerned Scientists
The University of Akron
University of California, Berkeley
University of Cincinnati
University of Nebraska Medical Center
University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
Not yet a member? Join Research!America today at www.researchamerica.org/become_member.
Download the entire July-August 2011 Research Advocate as a PDF.