SARAH PALLAS: Robust federal funding of biomedical research is vital to Georgia – MDJOnline.com

Perhaps without even realizing it, many Americans owe their health and even their lives to discoveries made possible by federal funding of biomedical research at academic institutions such as Georgia State University, where I work as a neuroscientist and professor. The government-funded National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation provide the vast majority of the funds that support the innovative work of the talented professors, research staff and students working long hours in the lab.

To be sure, there are many uses for federal dollars, and a need to be conservative with spending. But federally funded basic science research is critical to drive scientific progress so that we can one day treat, cure and eventually prevent devastating diseases and disorders.

Because of the lengthy and complex research process involved in moving from basic science discovery to profitable treatment, the private sector cannot, and will not, conduct this basic science research. Rather, they use the knowledge and tools from federally funded basic research to develop, implement, and then profit from new medical treatments and devices.

Congress has historically supported strong investment in scientific research, and biomedical research in particular, because of its value as an economic engine and the importance of a healthy citizenry to workplace productivity. A dollar spent on biomedical research returns over $2 in local economic output. In 2015, Georgia received $657 million in NIH and NSF funding, which supported more than 10,000 good jobs and $1.5 billion in local economic activity. Thus, investing in research benefits our nation and our state in the long term.

Unfortunately, because of the recession and sequestration, plus years of gridlock in Congress, we are in a dangerous position in which NIH funding for biomedical research has become much more unpredictable, declining more than 22 percent in real dollars from 2003 to 2015. These cuts have deeply affected the medical research community and the people it employs, as well as the businesses depending upon them. Many labs have closed, and the surviving labs avoid high-risk research that could have the most benefit in order to ensure they keep receiving funding. Many of our students have abandoned their hopes of contributing their knowledge and skills to medical advancements. It is this loss of our seed corn of young researchers that most concerns the scientific community.

Becoming a scientist requires decades of schooling and training with low pay and long hours. Without a promise of stable employment, our students have little incentive to choose a research career. The result is a serious pipeline problem. Currently, only 3 percent of NIH primary investigators are under 36 years old, compared to 18 percent in 1982. The United States cannot afford this tremendous waste of talent!

Although many health problems plague the nation, the cost in dollars and lost productivity due to neurological disorders far surpasses that of any other disease, including heart disease and cancer. The prevalence of stroke, autism, depression, and addiction is already putting considerable strain on our health care budget. As the population ages and the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers increases, the economic toll on the U.S. will skyrocket. The only way out of this downward spiral is to support research that will lead to new treatments.

In my work at Georgia State University, for example, I study recovery from brain damage. Currently, families of patients with a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury or stroke are told to wait and see how well the brain can heal itself. My trainees and I are investigating natural brain repair mechanisms so they can be harnessed for medical use. Our work could provide the foundation for improved rehabilitative strategies and real cures for brain damage, but the likelihood of obtaining funding to support our work is quite low.

Congress must demonstrate bipartisan support for biomedical research by passing a FY2017 appropriations bill that increases support for NIH- and NSF-funded research and then rejecting the presidents budget plan for FY2018, which proposes to cut NIH funding by $5.8 billion, or nearly 20 percent. Failure to do so would result in irreversible damage to the scientific enterprise.

I urge the citizens of Georgia to implore Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue to support robust and reliable funding for biomedical research that improves our lives and builds our economy. Ask them to return us to the tradition of broad bipartisan support for scientific research in order to regain the global competitiveness of the American biomedical research enterprise.

Sarah L. Pallas is a neuroscience professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

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