The Research Advocate May-June 2011

In This Issue of The Research Advocate

Policy Update: Budget Cuts from FY11 Continue in FY12

The budget deal that provides funding for the federal government through the end of this fiscal year resulted in budget cuts to several health research agencies. The National Institutes of Health was cut by about 1% or $320 million, the National Science Foundation was cut by 1% or $60 million, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was cut by 6% or $25 million, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received the most significant cut of about 12% or $748 million. The Food and Drug Administration received a 4.5% increase of $107 million.

The NIH has stated that all institutes and centers will be subject to a 1% decrease in support for research grants from the FY10 levels. National Cancer Institute grants, however, will be reduced by 3% from the FY10 award levels. Several NIH programs will be exempt from cuts, including Career Awards, SBIR/STTR and the National Research Service Award. During a recent hearing on FY12 appropriations for NIH, Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, estimated that grant funding rates for the current fiscal year and FY12 may be 17%, the lowest rate in NIH history.

The CDC also released its plan for the remainder of FY11. A variety of CDC programs will be subject to cuts, and the full details of the operating plan are available on the budget section of the CDC website. Other agencies are currently drafting their spending plans for the remainder of FY11.

For FY12, the House Committee on Appropriations announced budget suballocations for the 12 subcommittees. The Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education (LHHS), which provides funding for NIH, CDC and AHRQ, was allocated $139 billion for FY12, an $18 billion decrease from FY11 enacted levels. The proposed level of $139 billion is lower than the enacted level from FY05. The Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) was provided $50 billion for FY12, a $3 billion decrease. Subcommittee markups for CJS and LHHS are scheduled for July 7 and July 26, respectively.

Freshman Briefing

On May 11, Research!America co-sponsored a meeting held by Rep. Dan Benishek, MD (R-MI). The meeting provided an opportunity for several freshmen Members of Congress to meet Francis Collins.

Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Rep. Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN) and Rep. John Carney (D-DE) also attended the meeting.

Benishek opened the meeting by introducing Collins and thanking those in attendance. After Collins provided a brief overview of NIH, the Members were given an opportunity to ask questions about health and biomedical research.

The Q&A discussion touched on a variety of issues and challenges facing health and health research. The importance of prevention was discussed as a cost-effective means for improving health while lowering overall health spending. Collins mentioned the importance of personalized medicine and new technology to foster healthy behaviors in patients. But he also informed members about the challenges facing the NIH. Collins estimates that grant award rates at NIH could dip as low as 17% due to funding constraints, which would be the lowest in history.

Overall, the freshmen members in attendance seemed supportive of research to improve health and interested in health research issues. They all received personal invitations to take a tour of the NIH.

Campaign for Public Health

The CPH Foundation recently led a bipartisan group of 27 congressional staff from the House of Representatives on a tour of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta. The group walked through the agency's emergency response center; met with the agency's director, Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH; and had in-depth discussions with several other senior CDC staff.

More than 50 congressional offices responded to CPH's letter of invitation.

Advocacy & Action

Where Do Your Policy Makers Stand?

Research!America and our partners have launched Your Congress-Your Health. Every Member of Congress has been invited to respond to a questionnaire about medical research, the deficit and support for federal agencies that conduct research to improve health (NIH, FDA, CDC, NSF and AHRQ). Please contact your representative and senators TODAY to urge them to respond to the questionnaire at www.yourcongressyourhealth.org.

Cuts to research funding have already occurred at NIH, NSF, CDC and AHRQ. That is why it is more important than ever for Americans to know where lawmakers stand on these critical issues.

Research!America, Pfizer, University of Maryland Host Science Journalism Forum

Maggie Fox Research!America, together with Pfizer, Inc and the University of Maryland, held a Research Partners Forum, "Let Me Be Clear: Science Journalism in the Age of the Genome and Twitter," an interactive dialogue about how journalists and scientists can work together in the evolving environments of both fields.

The event marked the release of a new Research!America poll on Marylanders' views of science and coverage of science.

Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs, moderated two panels of experts. The first panel included Margaret Anderson of FasterCures; Georges Benjamin, MD, of the American Public Health Association; Maggie Fox of National Journal; Vicki Freimuth, PhD, of the University of Georgia; Gardiner Harris of The New York Times; and Kevin Klose of the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism.

The second panel included Elie Dolgin, PhD, of Nature Medicine; Robert Gold, PhD, of the University of Maryland's School of Public Health; Alice Park of TIME Magazine; E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, of the University of Maryland's School of Medicine; Carol Rogers, PhD, of the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism; and Jack Watters, MD, of Pfizer.

Listen to the podcast of the event by clicking here.

Dentzer, Benjamin and Watters are Research!America board members; Pfizer, the University of Maryland, APHA and FasterCures are Research!America members.

Research!America, NEOMED Host Ohio Research Partners Forum

Research!America and Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) hosted a Research Partners Forum, "Building Ohio's Economy and Health Through Medical Research." Attended by 400 people, the forum focused on the importance of medical research to Ohio's economy.

Results of a new Ohio poll by IBOPE Zogby, commissioned by Research!America, were released at the event. The findings showed Ohioans see the importance of investment in medical and health research to job creation and the economy in their state: 80% believe spending money on scientific research is important to Ohio's economy in terms of jobs and incomes.

Susan Dentzer, editor-in-chief of Health Affairs, moderated a panel discussion on the subject. Panelists included Carolyn Clancy, MD, director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Barbara Kunz, president, Health and Life Sciences Global Business, Battelle; Debra Lappin, JD, senior vice president, B&D Consulting and president, Council for American Medical Innovation; Rep. Tim Ryan, U.S. Congressman; and Lawrence Tabak, DDS, PhD, principal deputy director, National Institutes of Health.

The panel discussed the ways research creates new jobs and allows people to live longer, healthier lives.

The panel preceded comments on the importance of research to education and its economic impact on Ohio colleges and universities from eight members of the Inter-University Council of Ohio Presidents.

Battelle and NEOMED are Research!America members. Dentzer is a Research!America board member.

To see a webcast of the event, click here.

Reports Link Research, Economic Impact

Two new reports show just how much medical research has contributed to the U.S. economy.

United for Medical Research, of which Research!America is a member, found that nearly 488,000 jobs were supported by the National Institutes of Health. The figures, calculated by a method developed by the Department of Commerce, also found that 16 states had 10,000 or more jobs funded by NIH extramural research.

A report from Battelle and Life Technologies Foundation, both Research!America members, found that taxpayers' investment in the Human Genome Project has repaid many times the original cost. The nearly $4 billion U.S. investment in the Human Genome Project resulted in an economic impact of $796 billion and $244 billion in total personal income-all thanks to the economic activity that has sprung up from the initial investment.

Bernanke: Value of Government's Role in R&D

Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, said that government support of R&D can help boost economic growth and is more effective if "thought of as a long-run investment" and when stable support is provided.

Bernanke made the remarks at a conference on jobs and growth at Georgetown University in May.

"To the extent that countries gain from leadership in technologically vibrant industries or from local spillovers arising from inventive activity," Bernanke said. "... Governments that choose to provide support for R&D are likely to get better results if that support is stable, avoiding a pattern of feast or famine."

Your Congress-Your Health Poll Released

Research!America's recent Your Congress-Your Health poll gauges Americans' attitudes on research funding and other issues related to health, science and innovation. As we emerge from the recession, 78% of Americans think federal funding for health research is important for job creation and the economy and 91% think R&D is important to their state's economy. Additionally, 76% think global health R&D is important to the U.S. economy.

The poll findings were cited in Nature Medicine's Spoonful of Medicine blog, Stanford Medicine's SCOPE blog, United Press International and Asian News International, among other news outlets.

For more, visit www.yourcongressyourhealth.org.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Hosts Bay-Area Conference

Mary Woolley, David Kappos and Philip A. Pizzo, MD

The United States Patent and Trademark Office held a gathering at Stanford University to address how it can improve its customer service, including its ability to reduce the backlog of patent applications. Since a significant percentage of the USPTO's work involves medicines and medical devices, such improvements could mean accelerated access to new or improved health products.

Entrepreneurs, patent attorneys, venture capitalists and experts in start-ups attended the conference, along with principals from the USPTO, including Director David Kappos.

The USPTO heard several requests, including that patent examiners work more closely with inventors, that U.S. and global patent regulations become more closely aligned, and that the PTO find a way to increase the pace of patent review.

Research!America Board Leaders Honored

The Honorable John Edward Porter and Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD

The American Association for Cancer Research presented its first Award for Distinguished Service and Global Impact in Cancer and Biomedical Research to Research!America board chair John Edward Porter. Mary J.C. Hendrix, PhD, president and scientific director of Children's Memorial Research Center and a Research!America board member, received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, IL. Martha Hill, PhD, RN, dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and also a Research!America board member, received an honorary Doctor of Public Health degree from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia.

AACR, Children's Memorial Research Center and the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing are Research!America members.

Research!America Releases Fact Sheet on NIH Global Health R&D

Research!America has released a fact sheet on the National Institutes of Health-this month's newsletter insert-highlighting the contributions to global health R&D by the NIH as part of our U.S. federal agency and department fact sheet series. The NIH is the largest source of global health research in the world. This support of global health R&D stimulates job growth here at home, promotes a stable global economy and ensures a safer, healthier world. Visit www.researchamerica.org/global_health to download the fact sheet and find more resources about the impact of global health R&D.

Member Spotlight: The Buck Institute for Research on Aging

The Buck Institute for Research on Aging sits amid the hills north of San Francisco in Novato, CA. The Institute traces its origins to the estate of Beryl Hamilton Buck, who died in 1975; one of the stipulations of her estate was to "extend help towards the problems of the aged." After several years of development, the institute opened in August 1999.

Aging is the largest risk factor for chronic disease, cancers and neurodegenerative diseases among them. Brian Kennedy, PhD, The Buck Institute's CEO and president, sees his institution as one of several that is searching for the biological mechanisms at the root of aging and age-related disease.

"I'll be honest, we haven't completely solved the mystery," Kennedy, who was named to his current position in July 2010, says with a laugh. "But, we've developed-here and at other institutes as well-a lot of interventions that we can go in and actually slow the aging process in animals."

The Buck Institute remains the country's only independent research facility dedicated to understanding the link between aging and chronic disease. Kennedy said the institute is also focusing more on translational research-a push to bring basic discoveries from the laboratory to the clinic.

The Buck Institute is also in the midst of constructing the complex's second research facility; in all, four are scheduled to be built. The newest will focus on stem cell research and regenerative medicine, Kennedy said.

"It's become a very promising approach to look at how we can use stem cells to replenish defective tissue," he said. "And aging is about defective tissue."

He added that The Buck Institute is a Research!America member for several reasons. Most importantly is the need to effectively communicate the message that research saves lives.

"There are a lot of great institutions doing research that's meant to help [the public]," Kennedy said. " ... The main reason is to help people, and Research!America helps communicate that message for us and for everyone."

For more information, visit www.buckinstitute.org.

President's Message

We have suddenly seen a recent flurry of endorsements of R&D from sources previously silent on the topic, like Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke. And there are new reports out on the economic impact of the Human Genome Project and of NIH funding overall.

Despite the welcome discussion, the case for R&D has not yet proven robust enough to break through political resistance to strengthening federal support for R&D. This is true despite the fact that businesses are increasingly uneasy about the lack of predictability they need to plan and invest; younger scientists, aware of historic lows in proposal success rates, have no choice but to contemplate other careers; and nations like China are seizing the opportunity of backsliding by the U.S. to achieve their ambitious goals of driving their economic growth via investment in R&D.

If we stand back now, we will see the end of American leadership in life sciences in this decade. The critical question was posed by Rep. Tim Ryan at our recent forum in Ohio: Will the science community become forceful advocates now or watch this all happen without ever weighing in? He said: "If each person takes a little bit of responsibility to start reshaping this narrative ... There [can be] a tipping point."

Call on Research!America now to help. First-time advocates are especially welcome; we need hundreds and thousands to mobilize now.

Media Matters

University of Montana Op-eds on Research Funding

Research!America worked with Richard Bridges, PhD, at the University of Montana's College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, on op-eds published in the Missoulian, The Billings Gazette and the Helena Independent Record. The op-eds address the importance of investing in research for Montana's economy, competitiveness and for the health of all Montanans.

John Edward Porter Quoted in the News

A Q&A with Research!America's chair, former Illinois Congressman John Edward Porter, was published in Nature Medicine and picked up in Stanford Medicine's SCOPE blog. In it, Porter recounted his work as House LHHS subcommittee chair that led to the doubling of the National Institutes of Health budget. Porter also talked about the strong connection between research funding and job creation in articles in Bloomberg News and The Nation. In BioPharm International, he described the need to spur biomedical innovation to maintain the U.S. global competitiveness. "America's position as the world leader in biomedical R&D is under siege today, facing its biggest threat in 65 years," he said. "Is America going to put progress on hold?"

ACS-CAN and LIVESTRONG Oppose Research Funding Cuts

John Seffrin, PhD, CEO of The American Cancer Society-Cancer Action Network and a Research!America board member, and Lance Armstrong, chairman of the LIVESTRONG Foundation, held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, to urge Congress to oppose cuts to cancer research and prevention programs. Their message received press coverage in Forbes magazine, Newsday and other media outlets.

Mainstream, Trade Publications Interview Mary Woolley

Research!America CEO Mary Woolley commented on the final FY11 budget for NIH and the National Science Foundation in The Washington Post's Federal Eye blog and BNA's Medical Research Law & Policy Report. In these articles and in The Washington Times, she emphasized that investing in science and research is necessary for the U.S. to maintain its global economic competitiveness. In The Scientist, she praised the new study by Battelle and the Life Technologies Foundation on the economic impact of the Human Genome Project. She said: "I hope that our nation's elected officials take heed of the value demonstrated by the Battelle report issued today to reassess any plans to cut research in the FY12 budget."

Garfield Economic Impact Award in the News

Frank Lichtenberg, PhD, professor of business at Columbia Business School and the winner of Research!America's 2010 Garfield Economic Impact Award, published an op-ed in Nature Medicine about the cost-effectiveness of new cancer drugs, arguing that they are worth their high cost because of the number of life-years saved and the value of those life-years. New York Times columnist and three-time Garfield Economic Impact Award moderator David Leonhardt received the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.

Global Health R&D Advocacy

Research!America recognized HIV Vaccine Awareness Day on May 18 and leaders in HIV vaccine R&D.

The successful introduction of an effective HIV vaccine could have a significant impact. According to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), an AIDS vaccine that is at least 50% effective given to 30% of the population would avert 5.6 million new infections in low- and middle-income countries in just 15 years.

With numbers like that in mind, NIH and groups like IAVI have taken novel approaches to speed HIV vaccine R&D. NIH recently announced a shift towards adaptive trial designs to accelerate trials based on evidence as it is acquired. IAVI's model, a public-private partnership, works across typical business and geographic boundaries to develop and bring health products quickly and safely to market.

The recent progress has brought hope, but the need for continued R&D remains paramount. "No single HIV prevention strategy will control and ultimately end the HIV/AIDS pandemic," said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "That is why it is important to continue supporting promising research [for HIV prevention, testing, and treatment]."

May-June 2011 Principal Partners

Special Thanks to Renewing Research!America Alliance Members

New members
Aultman Hospital
Melanoma Research Alliance
Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy

Renewing members
Abbott Laboratories
American College of Sports Medicine
Amgen
Association of Medical School Microbiology and Immunology Chairs
AstraZeneca
Center for Advancing Health
CFIDS Association of America
Children's Memorial Research Center
Children's Research Institute at Children's National Medical Center
City of Hope National Medical Center
Cleveland State University
Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities, University of Colorado
CryerHealth, LLC
Drexel University College of Medicine
Duke University School of Nursing
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
The Food Allergy Initiative
The Forsyth Institute
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Friends of Cancer Research
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
Howard University College of Medicine
Eli Lilly and Company
Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Lupus Foundation of America, Inc.
Mayo Clinic
Medical University of South Carolina
Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
National Association of Children's Hospitals/National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions, Inc.
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
National Health Council
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
The Ohio State University College of Dentistry
The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Parkinson's Action Network
Parkinson's Disease Foundation
Research Canada
The Rockefeller University
Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation, Inc.
South Alabama Medical Science Foundation
Stanford University School of Medicine
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine/Health Sciences
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
University of Kansas Medical Center School of Nursing
University of Michigan
University of Mississippi Medical Center
University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry
University of Nevada, School of Medicine
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston School of Medicine
Vietnam Veterans of America
Virginia Commonwealth University
The George Washington University
The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services
Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber

Not yet a member? Join Research!America today at www.researchamerica.org/become_member_or_donate.

Download the entire May-June 2011 Research Advocate as a PDF.

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