CLEVELAND -- We are experiencing a renaissance of scientific innovation in the United States. Groundbreaking advances in human genetics and genomics research that yield life-changing discoveries and therapies are making extraordinary strides. The epicenter of many of these breakthroughs is the Cleveland region, where discoveries that benefit the global scientific and technology communities are driving the area’s economy and offering promise to patients and families coping with devastating diseases. Building on strong support in Washington over the last eight years, America has the power to keep this momentum going.
Just last week, however, in a time of great turmoil and disagreement, Congress voted to maintain essentially flat funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although this was not as detrimental as the projected significant cuts that were originally considered, it is still not at the level required right at a time when the need for U.S. research and public health leadership has never been more apparent or urgent.
Investments made through NIH drive knowledge and fuel innovation in the human genetics and genomics community. Geneticists need consistent and predictable public funding of research to advance medical progress that ultimately will lead to a better human condition. By its nature, science is curiosity-driven, has unpredictable outcomes and lays the foundation for every new treatment that enables people around the nation to lead healthier lives.
NIH investments in human genetics and genomics research have had — and continue to have — widespread impact on our nation, society and on all Ohioans. The United States has long been a leader in biomedical research. That leadership not only improves and saves millions of lives worldwide, but also generates significant domestic economic activity and spurs scientific innovation.
Ohio’s economy is one that benefits most from biomedical as well as human genetics and genomics research, having become a powerhouse among research hubs in this field. In our state, NIH funding reached well over the $1 billion-plus mark, not to mention the hundreds of millions of dollars in life science venture funding and the addition of 59,100 bioscience industry jobs. These investments, in turn, attract philanthropic and commercial investment, which further benefit our economy.
Dr. Anthony Wynshaw-Boris is a past president of the American Society of Human Genetics and a professor in the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Courtesy of Dr. Anthony Wynshaw-Boris
The full benefit, of course, cannot be boiled down to jobs and revenue. The cost burden in the United States of diseases that human genetics and genomics research seeks to address undoubtedly runs into trillions of dollars — not to speak of the societal burden that this research is rapidly helping to alleviate. Human genetics and genomics are now a daily reality in some medical fields (e.g., cancer), increasingly in pre- and postnatal testing, and quite notably in continuing to fight the effects of the coronavirus. With sustained support, future discoveries in genetics will usher in a new approach to the treatment of vision loss, cancer, and other serious and rare diseases. The future is incredibly bright for improvements to human health, and human genetics and genomics research is playing a fundamental role in that outlook.
As appropriators now turn their attention to Fiscal Year 2025 research funding, it is essential for lawmakers to continue to support patients and discovery and to ensure the necessary investment in NIH and other agencies that promote the health of our nation.
Dr. Anthony Wynshaw-Boris, MD, Ph.D., is a past president of the American Society of Human Genetics and a professor in the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The opinions expressed are his and do not represent the views of Case Western Reserve University.