Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names.
We Have Invested Too Much To Let Research Programs Die Quietly
I have dedicated my life to research, but now that work, along with the trust, data, and progress behind it, is at risk (“NIH Grant Disruptions Slow Down Breast Cancer Research,” Feb. 3).
As a rheumatologist and researcher, I have spent decades studying lupus — a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect nearly every organ system, producing symptoms that are often unpredictable and difficult to manage. Its impact on a patient’s quality of life is profound: Nearly 90% of people with lupus report being unable to maintain full-time work, while many also face interruptions in education or career progression.
But funding uncertainty from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other federal programs means that the thousands of patients involved in my research, along with millions of patients nationwide, are at risk. While I appreciate the increase in lupus research funding included in the recently passed congressional funding package, funding disruptions persist nationwide, and recovery takes time.
Increased funding is not like a light switch that we can just turn back on. It will take a lot of time to recruit back those we lost. That doesn’t include the young investigators who would have entered the field and are now lost. It takes time to build back the broken trust and infrastructure needed to keep participants engaged and ensure reliable data.
Medical research connects the bedside to the database to the policymaker’s desk. Withou …