The Trump administration has caused a drastic slowdown in biomedical research funding, threatening programs like the University of Washington’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. The fate of research into diseases like Alzheimer’s is uncertain, with grants facing delays and uncertainty in renewal. Dr. Thomas Grabowski, director of the ADRC, is concerned about patient care and the future of brain donation for research at Harborview Medical Center. Dr. Dirk Keene, who leads the brain bank at UW Medicine, is willing to do whatever it takes to honor the donations made by individuals like Andrea Gilbert.
The impact of these funding cuts is not limited to Alzheimer’s research. Universities across the U.S. are facing terminations of research grants, impacting both faculty and students. The American Civil Liberties Union has argued that the administration is targeting cuts based on topics it disfavors, such as diversity and LGBTQ issues.
The uncertainty in funding has led to researchers and students considering leaving the U.S., creating a potential brain drain of talented individuals. Shelly Sakiyama-Elbert, vice dean of research and graduate education at UW Medicine, warns that this could have a long-term negative impact on scientific innovation in the country. NIH has stated that it is committed to restoring evidence-based science, but the future of biomedical research funding remains in question.
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