Federal science funding: NIH critical to LI medical research

America’s status as a global leader in biomedical research has been built on robust public investment in science. In the 2023 fiscal year, it’s estimated that National Institutes of Health funding generated nearly $93 billion in economic activity nationwide. In New York specifically, the impact of NIH funding was roughly $8 billion. From mapping how cancer develops and finding treatments for tick-borne diseases to better understanding persistent illnesses like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, the NIH has been an engine for medical breakthroughs, benefiting generations of Long Islanders and Americans.

Attempts to limit NIH funding will throttle discovery, diminish the nation’s global research leadership, and hurt Long Islanders.

At Stony Brook Medicine, we are proud to host the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program for 9/11 first responders. As part of that, epidemiologist Sean Clouston is using NIH funds to study the long-term effects of exposure to Ground Zero and the troubling development of early dementia in many responders.

Using brain imaging technology, his team has found a connection between the duration of Ground Zero exposure and the presence of amyloid — a protein that can build up over time and may lead to Alzheimer’s — in the brain. This is an essential finding; early detection of dementia and Alzheimer’s can help clinicians offer more treatment options and provide a better quality of life for patients.

Another area in which the NIH supports important research is Powassan virus — a tick-borne illness that can cause neurological damage in humans. More damaging than the microbe that causes Lyme disease, Powassan virus is present in about 2% of Long Island ticks. POWV-infected patients have a 10% risk of fatal swelling of the brain, called encephalitis, and up to 50% have long-term neurological damage. In older patients, the risk is even higher. Through an NIH grant, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University virologist Erich Mackow is creating the basic science necessary to develop a vaccine and other therapeutics.

NIH grants consist of money to directly fund the research, and another portion for facilities and administration, known as “indirect costs.” These are negotiated with the agency by each university or research institution separate from the grant itself, and support essential work not included in the direct costs of a grant — like compliance with regulations regarding hazardous specimen handling, specialized ventilation systems, utility costs that can be shared across several different laboratories, and maintenance of specialized tools which can be used by multiple researchers.

The proposed 15% universal cap on indirect costs fails to reflect this essential infrastructure and support. Such action would leave universities and medical centers scrambling to cover basic expenses, inhibit our ability to prepare for emerging and ongoing threats to public health, and force universities to limit how much research could be done, reducing the kind of pioneering advancements that save lives and inform our understanding of health.

At a time of fierce global competition, it’s critical that we continue to attract the best minds from around the world to come to American institutions — to Long Island — and drive discovery and economic growth. Funding research and innovation is a bipartisan priority, and each member of New York’s federal delegation must be a champion on its behalf. Every NIH dollar New York receives is turned into more than two dollars in economic impact. Long Island’s patients, scientists, and economy depend on it — and so does America’s future as a global leader in health care innovation.

This guest essay reflects the views of Dr. William Wertheim, executive vice president of Stony Brook Medicine.