Interview
FEATURE
Fighting for Hematology :
ASH Bridge Grants and Grassroots Advocacy
After years of across-the-board funding cuts and steady budget declines , the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) received a $ 2 billion increase in funding with the fiscal year ( FY ) 2017 budget , thanks to bipartisan support in Congress . However , as the FY2018 budget looms , the agency is again facing the possibility of drastic funding cuts . President Trump ’ s proposed FY2018 budget seeks to cut more than $ 7 billion ( or 21 %) from NIH ’ s current budget . These cuts would undo recent funding increases and have a profound impact on research across the country .
In 2012 , the American Society of Hematology ( ASH ) launched its Bridge Grant program to help hematologists continue their critical blood disease research amid a desolate funding climate . This grant program supports ASH members whose R01 ( or equivalent ) grant proposals could not be funded by the NIH , despite earning high scores . As of November 2017 , 92 researchers have received the awards .
Recipients receive a total of $ 150,000 over one year , providing short-term relief to help talented hematology investigators continue their critical work while obtaining additional data to augment their grant applications . Research projects supported by ASH ’ s latest bridge grants encompass a wide range of basic , clinical , and translational hematology research , from improving therapy for leukemia to using molecular targeting to treat iron deficiencies and enhancing the understanding of specific genomic instabilities .
ASH Clinical News asked some recent winners how dwindling funding has affected their careers and how the ASH Bridge Grant has helped .
Clark Distelhorst , MD Charles S . Britton II Professor of Hematology / Oncology Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland , OH
The ASH Bridge Grant is absolutely essential . My NIH grant application scored well , but not well enough to fall within the funding range . The bridge funding will enable me to continue my research while revising and resubmitting the grant application to NIH .
Because of the decreased funding environment , much of my research space and staff have been reduced ; I have only one research assistant in my laboratory and can no longer train graduate students and post-doctoral fellows . Moreover , the morale of trainees is markedly lower , and the interest of many in research careers is diminished .
Without NIH research support my lab would close and I would be forced to discontinue research that is vital to our progress in treating a wide variety of hematologic malignancies and to our fundamental understanding of cancer .
“ The bridge funding will enable me to continue my research while revising and resubmitting the grant application to NIH .”
— CLARK DISTELHORST , MD
Samir Parekh , MBBS Associate Professor of Medicine , Hematology and Medical Oncology Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York , NY
During my fellowship , I faced the clinical challenge of treating patients with incurable mantle cell lymphoma and realized that better treatment options are urgently needed for this disease . My project involves creating a unique mouse model to study the role of the SOX11 oncogene in mantle cell lymphoma , and developing small-molecule inhibitors for use in the clinic . We received encouraging reviews from the R01 study section in our initial submission . However , we needed one more year to further develop the mouse data and resubmit our grant .
To continue my research during that period , I applied for an ASH Bridge Grant and am grateful for ASH ’ s support . Thanks to the grant , we have a much stronger chance of getting R01 funding in the next cycle .
Biomedical researchers are facing a crisis at two levels : First , many physician-scientists are finding it harder to maintain labs and are moving to more stable or lucrative jobs in private practice or the pharmaceutical industry . Second , seeing their teachers struggle for funding makes it hard to motivate the next generation of trainees towards careers in science and academics , so fewer fellows are growing into academic or laboratory-based careers .
Most institutions provide seed funding to physicianscientists for a limited period . NIH funding is crucial to sustain a laboratory beyond this initial phase , as it supports overhead at academic institutions . Like many other physician-scientists , I am at a critical juncture in my career where NIH funding is essential to keep my lab and continue a career in translational medicine in an academic setting . ●
Take Action
In May , the Trump administration proposed cutting one in every five dollars to the NIH . If enacted , this would deal “ a devastating blow to the advancement of medical science ,” ASH President Kenneth Anderson , MD , said in a statement from the Society . “ Not only does every dollar invested by NIH yield an estimated $ 8.38 in economic growth , but it also funds the research that leads to cures and therapies that keep Americans alive and healthy .”
Congress has continued to show broad , bipartisan support for NIH and both the House and Senate have proposed substantial increases in funding for NIH in FY 2018 . Unfortunately , because of budget caps that are in place under the Budget Control Act of 2011 , increases to important NIH programs may not be possible without significant cuts . ASH has expressed serious concern about the proposed FY2018 budget and continued spending caps , submitting statements to the House and Senate and mobilizing hematologists to contact their representatives to advocate for increased funding .
As the FY2018 budget process continues , all members of Congress , including those who support funding increases for NIH , need to hear from their constituents about the negative impact that cuts in funding have had ( and may continue to have ) on hematology research . There are many ways to deliver messages , ranging from calling your legislator ’ s office or writing a letter to meeting your Senators or Representative or attending a town hall meeting . To help constituents communicate with their policymakers , ASH developed an “ Advocacy Toolkit ,” a set of practical tools and actions you can take to communicate with your elected officials .
Visit hematology . org / Advocacy for information about how you can help raise awareness about the need for increased funding or contact ASH Legislative Advocacy Manager Tracy Roades ( troades @ hematology . org ) with any questions .
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