The Voice
Why Joining Our Efforts Is More Important Than Ever
The recent and ongoing cuts to funding for medical research will have lasting blows to scientists in universities, hospitals, and research centers. These cuts will jeopardize the diagnosis, treatment, and survival for all cancer patients. Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer. With substantial cuts to scientific research, patients are at an even greater risk.
How do federal funding cuts impact medical research?
Some of the most obvious barriers to medical research have come in the form of budget cuts. In mid-March, as part of Congressional negotiations to pass a six-month continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025, Congress cut government funding for Congressional Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) by 57%, from $1.5 billion to $650 million1. The CDMRP was founded by Congress in 1992 to benefit both the American public and the military through biomedical research. The organization was intended to fill funding gaps for research organizations 2. The program funds lung cancer research, in addition to many other diseases.
On February 7, 2025, the Trump administration announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would cut the indirect cost payment rate to universities, research institutes, and hospitals from 30% to 15%, capping indirect cost payments at 15% of a grant’s value3. These indirect funds are provided to cover operational expenses, such as renting space, hiring administrative staff, purchasing office supplies, or hiring specialists like lawyers or bookkeepers4. These costs are essential for universities to maintain research infrastructure and ensure compliance with regulations, contributing to the overall success of research endeavors.
A third barrier occurred with the Trump administration appearing to have barred NIH from publishing grant meeting notices in the Federal Register. When NIH funds a grant, it has a two-step process, which includes a preliminary review and a final review and approval. NIH is not allowed to post notices that these final meetings are occurring, which blocks the grants from being approved 5.
So, what’s the harm?
The NIH is often acknowledged as the world’s largest public funder of medical research, so the funding cuts and stalled grants will have far-ranging implications. Toby Smith, Senior Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy at the Association of American Universities, outlined for NPR what funding cuts will mean. Fewer Ph.D. students will be accepted, thus there will be fewer new researchers to fill research jobs. The American Council on Education and the Association of American Universities released a joint statement, saying in part that, “the loss of this American workforce pipeline would be a blow to the U.S. economy, to American science and innovation, to patients and their families, and to our nation’s position in the world as a leader in medical research6.”
As universities are being asked to shoulder more of the indirect costs of research, they may have to draw more from their endowments than in the past. But the total endowment draw is often limited, so universities may need to decide how to reallocate funding internally. Unfortunately, many universities will require hiring freezes while they determine how to redistribute their funding.
With fewer research opportunities available in the United States, many scientists are concerned that students who are interested in science will seek training abroad and contribute to scientific research efforts in other countries.
How will research cuts impact lung cancer research specifically?
It’s still too early to tell exactly how funding cuts will impact lung cancer research specifically. Groups who work to advocate for a cure, like GO2 for Lung Cancer and ALK Positive, have called for funding to be restored. Speaking to a local news station about lung cancer vaccines that are currently in clinical trials, Dr. Stephen Liu from Georgetown University’s Cancer Center acknowledged the uncertainty, but also said he thinks the funding cuts may have more of an impact on new research than research that is already at the clinical phase7. “We don’t really know exactly what the future holds, but I would say that trials that are further along, that are already underway, are not likely to stop,” Liu said. “The investment there is already paid, and those will probably be seen to fruition.” However, the more funding that is cut, the more impact on current clinical trials as we go forward.
What can you do?
When faced with news about the federal funding shortage other sources become necessary. While biotechnology investors could be an important source of replacement funding, the industry’s budget can’t compete with the multibillion-dollar budget that NIH had previously invested. Additionally, biotechnology companies tend to focus on scientific products with practical short-term applications, which leaves emerging scientific research unfunded8. Philanthropy, therefore, becomes more important than ever. It won’t be a cure, but it may help lifesaving projects continue.
It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of federal policy decisions. People taking action can make a difference. One way to push back involves legal action. Immediately after the current administration announced the funding cuts at the National Institutes of Health, 22 states sued to stop the funding cuts, which temporarily blocked them. Since restrictions on medical research can impact all of us, your voice can help to make a difference in your community and to your representatives.
Join our efforts to make a difference in early diagnosis of lung cancer by contributing to Upstage Lung Cancer and other lung cancer related organizations. If you also want to contribute through political advocacy, ALK Positive has released a template to reach out to your legislators. The template is written from the perspective of a lung cancer patient with a particular gene mutation but could easily be adapted if someone you know, or love has been impacted by lung cancer. The only way to lose is by doing nothing.
Sources:
1. Fears grow about plan to cut Pentagon medical research fund | Roll Call
2. About Us | Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs
3. NIH slashes overhead payments for research, sparking outrage and lawsuit | Science
4. Understanding Indirect Costs: A Brief Overview | Grant Professionals Association
5. Trump administration loophole snags US research grants from Lyme to lung disease | Reuters
6. Universities freeze hiring over federal funding concerns | NPR
7. Amid funding concerns, promising lung cancer vaccines could be available in next few years | WTOP
8. As research funding dries up for US science, few alternatives appear | Chemical and Engineering News