Sen. Murray hosts roundtable on threat to NIH research

Acclaimed genetics researcher Mary-Claire King and immunology Ph.D. candidate Kristin Weinstein represented UW Medicine May 2 at a Seattle roundtable discussion hosted by U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D). 

The discussion, held at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, concerned the immediate and growing threat to biomedical research posed by current federal administration actions, and what’s at stake for patients and families.  

 “Medical research is an economic powerhouse. It supports millions of jobs across the country, especially here in Washington state, and generates billions in economic activity,” Murray said. “But the real impact isn’t economic, it isn’t jobs, it isn’t awards, it is miracles that give people hope and more time with loved ones. That could mean a new vaccine to protect us from a disease. It could mean new treatment that saves lives. Or a breakthrough discovery that revolutionizes care and research, like Dr. King’s work showing a gene tied to breast cancer.” 

King shared that she received a notice about a grant award for $1.8 million for DNA-sequencing research that was supposed to have begun Jan. 1. 

“It’s not canceled. It just hasn’t come. Somehow it is frozen. No reason has been given,” she said. “In addition to the research itself, it supports four young investigators. We're now four months in with their having no salaries from that grant. Grants like this need to be dislodged from the iceberg in which they are now frozen.” 

Weinstein said unstable funding from the National Institutes of Health would force young scientists to look abroad for opportunities to continue training.  

 “I am holding onto the hope that the American public and its leadership will recognize the vital importance of biomedical research, reinstate federal funding for this work, and support our hard-working scientists,” she said “At the end of the day, I just want to be in the lab doing what I love most: Making scientific discoveries that will lead to cures for diseases like cancer and autoimmunity.” 

 Murray also was joined by Dr. Jeff Sperring, Seattle Children’s CEO; Dr. Vittorio Gallo, Seattle Children’s chief scientific officer; Dr. Jane Hoyt Buckner, president of Benaroya Research Institute; and Alisa Vitello along with her daughter, Olivia Vitello, who benefitted from medication developed through an NIH clinical trial. 

Adapted from a news release written by Amir Avin, Sen. Patty Murray's Office. 

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