America Leads the World in Medical Innovation, but NIH Cuts Threaten to Delay Cures
Think of how many new treatments we may never discover if funding for medical research is cut. That's what Congress is considering right now: a possible 12.3% budget cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), America’s biggest health research agency. It’s what makes the U.S. the world’s leader in medical research.
We’ve come so far in treating conditions like cancer or sickle cell disease thanks to the studies that NIH supports. But we still have a long way to go. If funding stops, so do our chances of making life better for millions of people with blood disorders and other diseases.
“Investing in research is not optional; it’s lifesaving. I’m alive today because of advances in stem cell transplants and targeted therapies.”
Rohan / Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2023
Lifesaving Cures Start with Medical Research
Science isn't just for the lab. Medical research is all around you, whether you take allergy medicine or have surgery. Millions of Americans benefit from research on blood disorders even if they don’t have one. That's because studies on blood disorders have taught us even more about deadly conditions like heart disease and stroke. Medical studies have helped save lives for generations. Today, many of these studies are funded by NIH.
Breakthroughs Give Cancer Patients Hope
When it comes to medical research, there's no such thing as "overnight success." For example, it took decades to develop chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. It's a breakthrough treatment that uses the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. Research funded by NIH made this possible. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved CAR-T therapy in 2017. Since then, it's given hope to thousands of people who were out of treatment options.
Medical studies funded by NIH have helped save lives for generations.
“One of my oncologists described treatment options as arrows in the pouch to fight blood cancer. Federal funding allows doctors to refill that pouch with new innovations — arrows — that provide hope. In my case, these arrows were there just in time.”
Maurice / Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010
When Maurice, an avid cyclist, found out he had multiple myeloma, he began a series of treatments that resulted from NIH-funded studies conducted long before his diagnosis. A boost in federal funding for medical research in 2001 was a big reason for his survival.
See why Maurice supports funding for research on blood cancers
Research takes time, but to patients, it’s worth it.
In 2023, the FDA approved gene therapies for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) 12 years and older. SCD is an inherited blood disorder that can cause frequent pain and stunted growth. It increases the risk for stroke, organ damage, and early death, and yet, gene therapies have the potential to cure it. Today, between 70,000 and 100,000 Americans live with SCD, but not everyone can access these treatments. This means that studies designed to find new treatments are patients’ best chance of a long, pain-free life.
This means that studies designed to find new treatments are patients’ best chance of a long, pain-free life.
“It has taken years to get even this far with treatments for sickle cell disease. And now, it's like we don't know what we'll face tomorrow.”
Erica / Born with Sickle Cell Anemia
Erica has been hospitalized several times throughout her life because of SCD. She takes 16 pills a day to manage her condition which has caused her major pain, chronic anemia, and strokes. And every three to four weeks she receives apheresis, a treatment to exchange her red blood cells. Federal funding for NIH helped develop her treatments for SCD.
Impact of Research
Scientific research provides jobs, fuels innovation, and improves lives through discoveries that lead to new treatments and cures.
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NIH supports jobs in every state
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What Everyone Should Know about Blood
