Skip to main content

Update on NIH funding

Below is an update on NIH funding from the Genetic Alliance.

I just returned, with Candice and Crystal, from the American Thoracic Society meeting. One of the big concerns, both in formal sessions and in informal conversations, was worry about cuts to medical research budgets. Everyone was just about in a panic about it. Without research, there can't be a cure. With more limited dollars, the fight for those dollars will be even more intense.

NIH Directors Testify on Budget Request



Last Wednesday, May 11, 2011, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee heard testimonies from five NIH directors on the FY 2012 NIH budget request. NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins presented the importance of translational science, the economic benefits of medical research, and the need for continued funding to compete on a global level. Dr. Anthony Fauci (Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), Dr. Griffin Rodgers (Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases), Dr. Susan Shurin (Acting Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute), and Dr. Harold Varmus (Director of the National Cancer Institute) also addressed the panel. Subcommittee members Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) responded by expressing support for the NIH's efforts and interest in learning more about the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS).

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ratner's Cheesecake

Here's another recipe from Toby! Thanks Toby......and I'll get the others posted soon! Ratner's Cheesecake and plain cookies Ratner's was a Jewish dairy restaurant in the lower East Side of Manhattan. This recipe, from my disintegrating, no longer in print Ratner's cookbook, is the closest I've ever gotten to reproducing the rich, heavy cheesecake my mother made when I was a kid. It's worth the time it takes to prepare and every last calorie. Dough Can be prepared in advance. Makes enough for two cakes. Can be frozen or used to make cookies – see recipe below. 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup shortening 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 cup butter 2 eggs 3 cups sifted cake flour ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients with hands. Refrigerate 3 -4 hours, or preferably overnight. Filling (for...

Some good news about Pirfenidone

Below is a press release from Intermune, the company that makes Pirfenidone. They have essentially reviewed the various clinical trials going on, and decided that Pirfenidone is safe and well tolerated. That would pretty much go along with what we've observed in the HPS community as well. We have a few folks that have been on the drug since the late 90s and continue to do well. Of course, as a journalist, I do have to say consider the source - but at the same time, as someone in a Pirfenidone trial, it's good to know. Results of Comprehensive Safety Analysis of pirfenidone In IPF Patients Presented At European Respiratory Meeting - Analysis shows safety and tolerability of pirfenidone across four clinical trials - VIENNA, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN ) today announced that the results of a comprehensive review of safety data from four clinical studies were presented at the 2009 European Respiratory Society Annual Congress in Vienna, Austria...

The next generation with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome

I'm so behind on posting about the trip to Puerto Rico. Since the episode of Mystery Diagnosis on Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome ran right after we got home, it's been a little busy. These, however, are my favorite pictures from Puerto Rico. I know, not pretty senery etc - but these little guys and gals inspire me. They are the next generation of folks with HPS, and if we keep up the hard work, they will live better lives because of it. They motivate me.