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Philly's science boost

THE AMERICAN Recovery and Reinvestment Act is generating jobs and investments in an area in which Philadelphia is already a leader: higher education and scientific research.

THE AMERICAN Recovery and Reinvestment Act is generating jobs and investments in an area in which Philadelphia is already a leader: higher education and scientific research.

Philadelphia's future as an intellectual mecca and catalyst of scientific discovery is thus assured.

The region's wealth of scientific and academic institutions make it a target for federal research dollars and the selection of local grant recipients is further aided by Sen. Arlen Specter, whose support for medical and scientific research is well known.

The near tripling in support for the National Institutes of Health - from $11 billion to $32 billion since 1995 - plus an extra $10 billion for NIH in the Recovery Act have created an enormous pool of money on which to draw.

Philadelphia institutions have benefitted to the tune of billions of dollars, with the University of Pennsylvania alone claiming a staggering $4.3 billion in federal research dollars since 2000. Only one other institution in the nation - Johns Hopkins - has received more support from the federal government.

Instead of Stetson hats and Baldwin locomotives, the future Philadelphia may be remembered for the genetically engineered drug known as PLX 4032 to treat melanoma, or the discovery of genetic markers to identify mental illness, or cures for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Penn is in a race to find answers to these and other health-related issues.

The Recovery Act has delivered the largest increase in basic funding in the history of federally funded scientific research - $21.5 billion.

Penn's vice provost for research, Steven J. Fluharty, said the money means improved health and well-being for millions and economic growth in the long run. "The Recovery Act," he said, "has enabled the university to continue groundbreaking studies in medicine, engineering and the natural sciences that will strengthen the nation's economy, as well as empower faculty to make advances in the health and well being of people around the globe."

To date, Penn has received $171 million in Recovery Act grants for some 350 research studies and 700 jobs in gene therapy, robotics, public education, neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease and more.

Temple has received $11 million in funds for 34 projects including investigations into a class of antibiotics to determine their usefulness in combating substance abuse and certain cell proteins that could serve as biomarkers for chronic pulmonary disease.

Thomas Jefferson University has been awarded 48 Recovery Act grants worth $34 million to explore innovative ideas in science and medicine and to speed the translation of research into improved patient health.

Drexel, St Joe's and La Salle, among other colleges and universities, have all shared in the windfall. So have the city's teaching hospitals and cancer centers.

THE RECOVERY Act averted a worse economic crisis by extending tax relief, unemployment benefits, health insurance, and food stamps to more than half a million men, women, and children in Philadelphia.

Elsewhere, it has brought long-delayed improvements to the city's roads and bridges, along with $32 million to upgrade the airport's terminal and baggage handling facilities.

Philadelphia public schools and universities have received millions of stimulus dollars for research, literacy, special education, early childhood education, after-school programs, entrepreneurial training, libraries, and technology upgrades.

All of these investments are important to Philadelphia's economic recovery and its livability, but the defining legacy of the Recovery Act may be its contributions to Philadelphia's academic and scientific communities. The future of the city will be written in their achievements.

Michael Nutter is the mayor of Philadelphia.