DeLauro Hears About Budget Cuts’ Impact on Life-Saving Medical Research

Deep, Indiscriminate Federal Cuts Hampering ScientificDiscoveries, Economy

NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) visited withbiomedical researchers today and toured their laboratories. The indiscriminate,deeply harmful budget cuts known as sequestration have forced the NationalInstitutes for Health (NIH) to cut $1.5 billion from their budget. This willresult in 750 fewer patients admitted to the NIH Clinical Center, 700 fewerresearch grants awarded, and the delay of better cancer drugs, universal fluvaccines and prevention of chronic diseases.

NIH funds much of the research that was discussed today,which includes work on osteoporosis, ear disease and stem cell research.

"Biomedical breakthroughs do not just happen. We have tokeep funding the lifesaving research that pushes the frontiers of medicalscience. But the Majority in the House of Representatives insists on cuttingbillions from the NIH's budget. This is short-sighted and wrong. As a 26-yearcancer survivor, I know biomedical research has an impact on people's lives. Wewill never know what breakthroughs will never happen because we are cavalierlycutting the NIH's budget."

DeLauro also spoke about the economic benefits of biomedicalresearch:

"Particularly in Connecticut's flourishing biotech corridor,the economic impact of these budget cutbacks will be felt. Every dollar thatgoes to NIH results in two dollars of business activity and benefits for thesurrounding economy. That is smart investing. But it is slowing, and evenending in some cases. If Congress continues to go down this path of cuttinginto what should be national priorities, it will come back to haunt us. It willhaunt us in real terms—lives lost."

A variety of biomedical researchers from the Yale School ofMedicine participated in the conversation and showed DeLauro around theirlaboratories. The group included:

· Dr. Lawrence Rizzolo, Associate Professor ofSurgery and of Ophthalmology and Visual Science; conducts research on how bestto treat age-related macular degeneration

· Professor John Geibel, Vice Chairman ofResearch, Department of Surgery; one of his colleagues currently doingpost-doctoral research is leaving science due to a lack of funding andopportunities

· Mark Kidd, Research Scientist in Crohn's Diseaseand better approaches to cancer treatment; is facing the loss of NIH funding

· Professor Joseph Santos-Sacchi, studiesage-related hearing loss; had to eliminate a position in his laboratory due toloss of NIH funding

· Assistant Professor Natalia Isaeva, studies headand neck cancers that affect young and middle-aged adults

· Sergey Ivanov, Research Scientist who studiessalivary gland cancers; sequester cuts are limiting the hiring he wouldotherwise be able to do.