Sustained federal funding to support innovative biomedical research is essential to identify new cures and advance the treatment and prevention of human diseases such as cancer, heart disease, infections and diabetes.
The federal budget crisis, continued declines in real purchasing power of research dollars, and looming sequestration, in which budgets are slashed across the board, threaten to severely cut support and derail priorities of the National Institutes of Health, the primary funder of biomedical research.
This crisis also threatens other federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that help support biomedical research’s lifesaving mission.
The value of biomedical research extends beyond the development of new cures, disease treatment and prevention. Biomedical research is a strong economic engine, generating research dollars that ripple through the economy. In Georgia, by several estimates, 19 or more high-paying jobs are generated per $1 million in research funding. Every dollar of federal funding translates into $2.21 for the economy.
In 2011, Georgia researchers received $467.7 million in research awards that either directly or indirectly supported 10,963 jobs. But jobs creation represents the tip of the iceberg. Biomedical research spins off commercial applications, drug and device development, and new startup companies. Two recent examples: Pharmasset, a pharmaceutical company originally founded on Georgia-based federally funded research, was acquired by Gilead Sciences for approximately $11 billion, while Georgia-based Inhibitex was acquired by Bristol-Myers-Squibb for $3 billion. Both companies are focused on new therapies and cures for hepatitis C.
Industry partnerships are paving the way for new medical devices to improve and save countless lives. Drugs for HIV/AIDS discovered at Emory University with the help of federal funding are used by more than 90 percent of U.S. patients under treatment and by thousands more around the world.
Scientists at Emory and Georgia Tech are making significant progress in developing microneedle patches to painlessly deliver the influenza vaccine through the skin.
Biomedical discoveries at Emory and Georgia Tech have resulted in 78 startup companies and the introduction of more than 64 new products into the development pipeline.
These examples of federally funded Georgia research hold great promise for the health of U.S. and global communities, as well as for the economy.
Biomedical research also provides a foundation for our future by creating the environment for education and training of the next generation of physicians, scientists, biomedical engineers and other health care leaders.
This gives our nation a competitive advantage through global leadership, and ultimately improves the human condition through medical progress.
David S. Stephens is vice president for research and professor of medicine at Emory University. Stephen Cross is executive vice president for research and professor in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech.
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