Transcript Science Fair Project - Federation of American Societies
Breakthroughs in Bioscience
From NIH-Funded Basic Research to Improved Health
Colorado
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Nation’s medical research agency Funds the science that leads to medical advancement Campus in Bethesda, MD– but most funding is distributed to university researchers throughout the United States
Research Enterprise Is Critical to Colorado’s Economy
The state received more than $320 million in total awards during FY2008 CU-Boulder employs more than 24,000 people and partners with 19 new entrepreneurial ventures CU students spent nearly $400 million in Colorado in 1999 Colorado is home to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
NIH Grants Support Many Programs in CO
UC-Denver and Health Sciences Center was awarded a 5-year, $10.5 million trauma center grant to study multiple organ failure after severe injury NIH awarded $18 million to Colorado State for the study of emerging viral diseases like West Nile virus, in conjunction with Univ. of Texas-Galveston Colorado State received $8 million for tuberculosis research, to develop new ways to fight drug-resistant TB strains NIH is funding centers to support early research careers in obstetrics/gynecology, including the Colorado Women’s Reproductive Health Research Career Center In 2004, UC School of Pharmacy ranked first for NIH individual research grant awards for full-time PhD faculty
NIH: Saving Lives Through Science
Current annual budget of around $29.3 billion
Greater than 80% distributed throughout the country More than 50,000 grants 212,000 scientists 2,800 universities Portfolio of basic, translational, and clinical research
NIH has been involved in nearly all the medical & health related discoveries of the past century
How NIH Makes Science Happen…
Researchers working at local universities, hospitals and research institutions are dependent on federal support to fund their research, hire lab personnel and train young scientists They write research grant proposals to compete for funding Must explain why they think it’s a good idea, how they’re going to do the experiments, and what impact it will have on science & medicine Proposals are reviewed in a two-tiered system Peer-reviewed by scientists to ensure highest quality science Reviewed again for applicability to scientific or health priorities by NIH officials and other stakeholders, including public members NIH review system is the envy of the world!
Very competitive!!! Before - 1 in 3 proposals funded; now closer to 1 in 6 High quality research is not being done for lack of funding
Basic Research: From Bench to Bedside
Much of NIH funding goes to
basic or fundamental research
Basic research is driven by interest in a scientific question The main motivation is to expand knowledge and understanding , not to create or invent something However, the insight into how the human body works and understanding of how diseases and disorders operate provides the foundation for medical progress
"People cannot foresee the future well enough to predict what's going to develop from basic research. If we only did applied research, we would still be making better spears." Dr. George Smoot, Berkeley National Lab
What about medical breakthroughs?
Medical breakthroughs science or medicine often come from unrelated areas of Research on cancer biology has led to drugs for: heart disease; viral diseases like influenza, Herpes & AIDS; and osteoporosis Physicists studying the effects of magnets on atomic particles made the discovery that gave us MRI Usually based on years or decades of fundamental knowledge Over time, scientists solve or find different pieces of the puzzle This makes it difficult to predict breakthrough will come from where the next Makes it imperative to support a broad range of scientific research Much of this research is too basic for the private sector The federal investment often lays the foundation for advances in healthcare
Evolution of Research to Healthcare
Selected modern examples…
Cardiovascular disease
Information on the biochemical structure & synthesis of cholesterol led to the development of statins Discoveries in basic kidney biology and blood pressure regulation converged with an unexpected finding involving snake venom to yield ACE inhibitors , one of our most effective hypertension medications Understanding how the blood clots, together with a new cancer treatment and the first commercial use of recombinant technologies, resulted in rtPA, a clot busting drug that can prevent death from heart attack or stroke
RESULTS??
63% REDUCTION IN DEATHS FROM HEART DISEASE AND A 70% REDUCTION IN DEATHS DUE TO STROKE; MORE THAN 1 MILLION LIVES SAVED IN 2006 ALONE
Cardiovascular disease
500 400 300 200 100 ~ 1,329,000 Deaths in 2000 50 55 60 65 70 75 Year 80 85 90 95 00 Projected ~ 514,000 Actual Deaths in 2000
30-year Investment per American ~$110.00 Total Economic return of improved treatment & prevention $2.6 TRILLION
HIV / AIDS
Fundamental knowledge of how viruses replicate gave scientists targets for therapy. Researchers looking for a new cancer drug hit one of those targets when they discovered a way to block replication, resulting in the development of AZT . Increased understanding of how HIV operates at the cellular and molecular level identified more targets, and eventually led to the combination of drugs knows as the ‘triple cocktail.’
RESULTS??
AIDS HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED FROM AN ACUTE FATAL ILLNESS TO A CHRONIC CONDITION; THE PROPHYLACTIC USE OF ANTI-VIRALS PREVENTED ALMOST 350,000 DEATHS WORLDWIDE IN 2005
HIV / AIDS
Deaths from AIDS dropped nearly 70% between 1995 and 2000 Survival rates for those infected with HIV has increased by 10 years
Cancer
Basic research into the shape and characteristics of the estrogen receptor gave us tamoxifen , which can reduce breast cancer incidence among women at risk by over 45%.
The breakthrough finding that human papillomavirus (HPV) could cause cervical cancer has led to a by as much as 90%.
new vaccine that NIH estimated could reduce cervical cancer incidence While investigating the cellular machinery controlling cell growth, scientists developed bortezomib - now used to treat patients with multiple myeloma.
RESULTS??
FROM 1993-2002, CANCER DEATH RATES DROPPED 1.1% PER YEAR; MORE THAN 2/3 OF PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER CAN EXPECT TO LIVE 5+ YEARS
Cancer
Increase in Cancer Survivors
9 6 3 1971 1986 1990 2003
30-year Investment per American ~$260.00 Total
Infant mortality
Studies on lung function led to the discovery of surfactant . This protein-lipid mixture is crucial for the survival of premature infants, decreasing the number of infant deaths from respiratory distress from 15,000 per year to less than 1,000.
The use of transmission has reduced the rate from 25% to about 1% in the U.S. anti-virals to prevent mother to child HIV Studies on a metabolite of progesterone, known as progesterone 17P , have led to the finding that injections of this compound can reduce pre-term deliveries by as much as 30%, a particularly important result for African American women.
RESULTS??
IN LESS THAN A CENTURY, INFANT MORTALITY IN THE U.S. HAS BEEN REDUCED BY 90%, TRANSLATING TO ALMOST 500,000 BABIES SAVED PER YEAR
NIH-Funded Discoveries at Colorado Schools
The first successful liver transplant occurred at University of Colorado in 1963 with research support from NCRR Researchers discovered a progressive neurological disorder predominantly affecting men over age 50 that causes tremors, balance problems, and memory deficits. Known as fragile X associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, the disorder was linked to a small mutation in the same gene that causes fragile X syndrome Thomas Cech, a CU-Boulder distinguished professor, discovered that RNA can act as a catalyst in living cells, and received the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Sidney Altman Determined that slow walking for obese people is preferred to a faster pace because of decreased impact on joints and a similar number of calories burned
The Bottom Line…
People are living longer, healthier lives because of NIH funded medical research What were once swiftly fatal illnesses have become treatable or manageable conditions For those suffering from diseases that have no current treatment or cure, medical research provides hope – which has a major impact on quality of life
The Challenge…
NIH funding is entirely dependent on Congressional support In recent years, Congressional support has diminished , and the NIH budget is slowly eroding from lack of funding and inflation Lack of understanding in Congress about the importance of medical research and the treatments and hope it provides As the NIH budget falls, success rate also falls
Diminished investment in NIH = loss of talented researchers = missed opportunities = delays in medical progress
Colorado’s Congressmen Need to Advocate for NIH Funding
Nothing should surpass improving our health as a national priority Opportunities for discoveries that translate to improved health for our citizens have never been greater Every increase in the NIH budget means additional funding for research in the state and new jobs
We Need Your Help: Working Together for NIH
Contact Senators Bennet and Udall, and your Congressional Representative Let them know that medical research is important to you and what a bargain it is Write a letter to the newspaper and talk to your friends Help educate policymakers and neighbors about the important work NIH is doing Nothing is more important than our health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) should be an American priority
Want to know more??
Please visit http://opa.faseb.org
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)