What do Trump’s NIH restrictions mean for cancer research?
Indefinite suspensions of research-grant reviews by the Trump administration could impact funding for cancer research.
Following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the Trump administration has imposed a wide range of restrictions on the National Institutes of Health (NIH; MD, USA). This includes cancellations of research-grant reviews, which could impact vital funding for cancer research.
Restrictions to research-grant reviews, travel, external communications and hiring were issued on 21 January and are expected to be in place until at least the beginning of February. This delays the release of the NIH’s US$47 billion budget for funding research across the USA. As part of this budget, US$7 billion is designated for the National Cancer Institute, which is crucial to supporting ongoing cancer research.
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Furthermore, the National Cancer Institute supports several clinical trials and manages the board that approves new clinical trials for cancer treatments, which also appears to be paused as part of the restrictions.
While other administrations have caused short delays to communications at US agencies, the length and extent of these restrictions has not been seen before. These restrictions could result in a knock-on effect in delays to cancer research funding and testing of important drugs for cancer treatment.
For instance, NIH funding contributed to 354 of the 356 drugs approved by the US FDA between 2010 and 2019, highlighting its role as a driving force behind advancements in health and treatment options [1]. If further progress is to be made, funding for cancer research must be reinstated.
The actions of the administration have caused concerns amongst the cancer research community, with the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society (NY, USA) denouncing the actions of the administration and commenting, “We encourage the Administration to partner with patients, clinicians, and researchers to understand and appreciate the full impact its actions have on patients and healthcare infrastructure.”
The Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society also highlighted that other actions by the administration could impact cancer patients, including proposals that would reduce access to Medicaid and CHIP, a program that ensures access to affordable healthcare [2].
While the full impact of these actions and restrictions on cancer research is still unclear, the American Association of Cancer Research (PA, USA) is in the process of gathering information on how the broader cancer research community is affected. These findings could help highlight the downstream effects of these actions and the impact they have on the USA’s position as a leader in research [1].
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