NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, delivered a congressional testimony on the agency’s FY 2016 budget before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies earlier today. Read the full transcript of his testimony here.  

  ASPET members are encouraged to contact their U.S. Representatives and ask them to sign a “Dear Colleague” letter on NIH funding. The letter endorses both the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research’s and FASEB’s recommendation of “at least $32 billion” for NIH in FY 2016 – and is what our ASPET Washington Fellows will be messaging to their delegation during their Capitol Hill visits this spring.…

   One of ASPET’s coalition partners, the Coalition for Health Funding has prepared a primer on sequestration. “Sequestration 101” will tell what sequestration is and what it is not and will help any ASPET member understand whey spending today is at an all-time low. You can read view the CHF Sequestration 101 primer here.

    Budget Battle Looms over Spending Caps A key legislative battle is forming that has implications for funding the NIH in FY 2016 and beyond. The threat of sequestration – automatic spending cuts, has returned. Here is quick reminder why. The Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011 imposed spending caps on discretionary programs (defense and non-defense) intended to reduce their funding by more than…

    The NIH Congressional Justification ("CJ") provides the Senate and House Appropriations Committees detailed estimates and justifications for research and research support activities (infrastructure, administrative, etc.) that NIH would anticipate funding at the President's Budget Request level. The CJ provides a narrative discussing NIH's past accomplishments in advancing the biomedical resea…

    Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Richard Burr (R-NC) released a report on the challenges of ‘getting safe treatments, devices and cures to patients more quickly and effectively.’ Specifically, the report looks at what is and is not working at the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. “Innovation for a Healthier America: Identifying Opportunities for Meaningful …

    Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has introduced the “Medical Innovation Act” that would attempt to increase funding for the NIH and FDA [view Sen. Warren introducing the bill here]. The bill requires drug companies that have violated the law and entered into settlements with the U.S. Justice Department to pay a percentage of their yearly profits for five years to supplement funding fo…

  NIGMS released a Notice announcing new guidelines for funding investigators with substantial unrestricted research support. These guidelines—which will go into effect for research grants submitted on or after January 2, 2016—define the parameters for awarding NIGMS research grants (e.g., R01s and other RPGs) to investigators with substantial levels of unrestricted research funding (at …

FASEB has released the latest publication in the Horizons in Bioscience series “Nanomedicine: A Targeted Approach.” The article describes the emerging field of nanoparticle targeting. Nanomedicine is beginning to change the way scientists and physicians diagnose and treat disease. Unlike conventional therapies, these tiny particles – 1,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair – can se…

    The completed spending package for FY 2015 passed December 16 provides funding through the balance of the fiscal year that ends September 30. Only the Department of Homeland Security is funded through a continuing resolution through February 27. The spending agreement reflects the austerity minded Congress and really reflects previously agreed to overall spending levels negotiated last year.…