Do no harm to research budgets

By J. Larry Jameson

As a scientist and leader of an academic medical center, I call on Congress to approach proposed debt-reduction negotiations by trimming with a scalpel rather than a saw. Blunt cuts will have life-threatening consequences and dampen the tremendous economic benefits of the biomedical research engine.

The pace of biomedical research is accelerating. Examples of recent breakthroughs at Penn Medicine underscore why we should be apprehensive about losing research momentum.

First, a team at Penn Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia successfully used gene therapy to replace a missing protein in the retina of the eye, allowing children with a congenital form of blindness to see. This biblical-sounding story may seem like a miracle, but it is the result of years of sustained government support and team science to develop an empty viral vector to deliver the gene, and preclinical trials in dogs afflicted by the same genetic defect.

Additionally, a team at the Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center recently announced early success engineering a patients' own immune cells (T cells) to not only attack and destroy their leukemia but to remain in place as a form of vaccine - on guard should the cancer cells recur. Based on intensive research at multiple centers, the immunological approach to cancer has emerged as a new treatment modality in addition to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

The accelerating pace of these kinds of biomedical advances can be traced to pioneering federal investments in research over the last 50 years, largely through the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

For now, the United States is the undisputed leader in biomedical research. We have a unique culture that supports innovation, a well-established peer-review process that identifies the most promising people and ideas, and a robust research infrastructure that includes state-of-the-art laboratories at NIH, academic medical centers, and in the private sector. We also have a remarkable knowledge infrastructure, exemplified by the human genome project, which allows scientists to mine databases to yield results in minutes instead of years.

However, cuts to federal funding that supports these resources, as would happen if the 7.8 percent cut to NIH funding included in sequestration occurs, would dramatically undermine our world-leading role and impact on science and human health.

Biomedical scientists want the public and our legislators to know that we appreciate and take seriously the trust and support provided for the research we perform on behalf of people worldwide. The opportunities for major research advances have never been greater. At a time of intense focus on the economic health of the nation, it is especially important to note the economic benefits of these efforts: every $1 investment in biomedical research generates at least $2.21 in local economic growth. This is a prime example of an investment that leads to job creation in the private sector, particularly in biotechnology.

A fundamental tenet of medical practice is "first, do no harm." As we face the fiscal cliff, I urge our leaders to avoid reductions that will cause long-term harm. Cutting biomedical research will cripple one of our most promising economic engines, slow the pace of scientific discovery by dismantling research teams, abandon a generation of young scientists, and, most importantly, cost lives. Better still, perhaps an infusion of dollars to further accelerate biomedical research is what is needed to speed our recovery.