www.faseb.org

for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research

FY 2018

Federal Funding

FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY

FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY

Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018

Executive Summary

Advances in biomedical and biological research have improved the health of our citizens, generated new treatments for life threat-ening diseases, and enhanced our quality of life. The opportunities for additional progress are enormous. The United States is the

world leader in this crucial area of research, but our future success requires sustained and predictable growth in the federal investment in the nation’s research enterprise. This report presents FASEB’s fiscal year (FY) 2018 funding recommendations for the following federal agencies:

■■ National Institutes of Health (NIH)FASEB recommends at least $35.0 billion for NIH in FY 2018

■■ National Science Foundation (NSF)FASEB recommends at least $8.0 billion for NSF in FY 2018

■■ Veterans Affairs Medical and Prosthetic Research Program (VA) FASEB recommends at least $713 million for the VA Medical and Prosthetic Research Program in FY 2018

■■ United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) FASEB recommends at least $700 million for the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and $1.24 billion for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in FY 2018

■■ Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE SC)FASEB recommends at least $5.8 billion for the DOE SC in FY 2018

FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY

FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY

Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018 1

Introduction

Discoveries made by federally supported researchers working in universities, hospitals, national labs, academic health centers, and other research institutions provide the foundation for

medical advances. These breakthroughs contribute to the development of new therapies, the commercialization of products and technologies, and the creation of high-paying jobs in biotechnology and other sectors.

Budgets for the U.S. research agencies have not kept pace with the unprecedented scientific opportunities available today or the needs of our aging population. Spending caps enacted through the Budget Control Act of 2011 are holding us back. These arbitrary limits on crucial investment must be removed. In recent years, federal funding for research and development at institu-tions of higher education declined in both current and constant dollars. Between FY 2011 and FY 2015, universities experienced a 13 percent reduction in federal support for research, continuing the longest multiyear decline since the early 1970’s.1

1 National Science Foundation National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Info Brief. Universities Report Fourth Straight Year of Declining Federal R & D Funding in FY 2015, Arlington, VA, November 2016.

In the face of heightened international competition, the federal government must defend our leadership in the research that drives innovation and promotes economic growth. Other nations are rapidly catching up. From 2003 to 2013, the contributions to global research and development spending from countries in East, Southeast and South Asia grew from 27 to 40 percent, and the growing primacy of Asia is unlikely to end soon.2

The U.S. needs a dynamic and thriving scientific enterprise in order to tackle the most vexing challenges facing society and ensure prosperity in the global economy. Funding for scientific research should be one of our highest priorities as Congress decides how to allocate available federal resources. In FY 2018 and beyond, we must build on the momentum created by renewed bipartisan support for the National Institutes of Health in 2016 and recommended in the unfinished 2017 spending bills, and recommit ourselves to the robust support of biomedical research across federal agencies.

2 National Science Foundation. Science and Engineering Indicators 2016, Arlington, VA, January 2016.

Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018 3

NIHNATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the nation’s largest funder of biomedical research. It provides competitive grants to more than 300,000 scien-tists at universities, medical schools, independent

research institutions, and biotechnology companies located in nearly every congressional district. Since 1939, NIH has supported 149 Nobel Laureates over the course of their careers, including one of the 2016 winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

A century of advances based on NIH-funded research has improved our health, fostered economic growth, and expanded our scientific knowledge. Increased longevity, a reduction in the number of deaths from heart disease and stroke, the development of the first vaccines for hepatitis A and Ebola, and research that led to the approval of innovative treatments for rare autoinflammatory diseases are part of NIH’s outstanding legacy. Research funded by NIH on detection and treatment of prostate cancer helped establish a five-year survival rate of nearly 99 percent. Greatly improved understanding of how the brain functions and new insights about risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease came from NIH-supported studies. In addition, NIH research helped reduce preterm births and contributed to substantial improvements in the survival rates of babies born early.3 A new class of drugs developed by NIH-funded scientists studying soil led to critical progress in responding to anti-biotic resistance. The agency has also been at the forefront of research on spinal cord stimulation that allowed a small group of paralyzed individuals to regain some voluntary leg movement.

Many of these advances were made by scientists inves-tigating fundamental molecular, cellular, immunological, and physiological mechanisms and systems. NIH’s focus on investigator-initiated research identified the underlying causes of many diseases and fostered the translation of scientific discoveries into effective clinical interventions. The investment in basic research also made it possible for NIH to respond rapidly to urgent public health crises. Basic science also transformed the field of genomics, capitalized on advances in big data and technology to accelerate the pace of research, and created innovative new industries.

3 https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/preterm/researchinfo/Pages/activities.aspx

Emerging scientific opportunities that hold the promise of improving the lives of millions of people are on the horizon. Further investment in basic science could revolutionize tech-niques to image various body parts, improve understanding of how brain circuits function, complete the development of a universal flu vaccine, harness the immune system to fight cancer, and create an artificial pancreas, leading to better management of diabetes. Basic research also holds the key to develop treatments for rare diseases for which no therapies are currently available.

Research funded by NIH produces critical new findings every year across a broad spectrum of basic, transla-tional, and clinical research studies. Recent accomplish-ments include:

■■ Understanding chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer cells: Two proteins, BRCA1 and BRCA2, play important roles in stabilizing DNA in human cells. Patients who carry mutant forms of these proteins are at higher risk of developing breast cancer. Though these patients can be treated with chemotherapy, tumors can develop resistance to drugs, making treatment less effective. By studying this chemoresistance in cell culture, researchers at the National Cancer Institute have now discovered how protein molecules in cancer cells allow tumors to resist chemotherapy drugs. This discovery not only opens up the possibility for monitoring patients’ responses to cancer therapies in the clinic, but also may lead to the development of new, more effective pharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer.4

■■ Vaccination and the evolution of virulence: Vaccines have been invaluable in the fight against communicable diseases and have prevented illness in hundreds of millions of people. In a world where infectious microbes rapidly spread to new populations, it is critical to develop new vaccines and also understand the dynamics of disease transmission. By studying a disease in chickens, researchers at the Pennsylvania State University have discovered how specific conditions can lead to the emergence of more virulent pathogen strains

4 https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-breast-cancers-resist-chemotherapy

4 Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

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that attack unvaccinated individuals. This work sheds light on how disease agents evolve in a population of hosts and is laying the foundation for how we might manage treatments to prevent the emergence of new, dangerous infections.5

■■ Laboratory-based strategy for predicting the emergence of different flu strains: Each year, an updated flu vaccine has to be produced to match the most common flu variants. Scientists must monitor flu strains around the world in order to predict which types will emerge during a given flu season. However, sometimes an unexpected strain emerges for which the vaccine doesn’t offer sufficient protection. In order to address this problem, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed an experimental method to better understand how different flu strains emerge. This deeper understanding of which mutations are likely to occur should lead to more reliable vaccine development in the future.6

5 http://www.thereadgroup.net/wp-content/uploads/Read-et-al-PLoS-2015.pdf

6 https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/strategy-may-improve-seasonal-flu-vaccines

■■ Stem-cell derived pancreatic beta-cells and a possible treatment for diabetes: Type-1 diabetes is a disease in which cells in the pancreas, called beta-cells, are destroyed, thus compromising the patient’s ability to properly regulate blood-sugar levels. In their search for new diabetes treatments, researchers at Harvard University have for the first time produced adult stem-cell-derived functional beta cells. These engineered cells have enormous potential as a treatment, or possibly even a cure, for diabetes. Clinical trials are already underway.7

Increased Funding for Biomedical Research Is Critical to Sustain Progress

Discoveries made by NIH-supported researchers have provided the foundation for thousands of recent medical advances. The fundamental insights that made progress possible were often the result of decades of basic research supported by the government in collaboration with the private and public sectors, other science agencies, philan-thropic foundations, and industry partners.

7 http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11463

Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018 5

NIHNATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

To facilitate long-term planning and support the best science, NIH needs stable, predictable budget increases. A multi-year strategy of sustained increases in federal funding for biological and biomedical research will ensure the most efficient use of resources and maximize the return on investment for taxpayers.

At the request of Congress, NIH submitted a five-year agency-wide strategic plan in late 2015 that identified new challenges for human health that could be addressed through scientific exploration. As the plan states, “By maintaining and strengthening its already impressive foundation of fundamental science, biomedical research will be poised to identify and capi-talize upon potential opportunities for revolutionary break-throughs with the potential for preventing, treating, and curing disease.” The FY 2018 appropriation for NIH must build on and expand the agency’s capacity to fund the basic research. Stable funding is also needed to attract and retain talent to the U.S. biomedical research work-force. Physician-scientists, who possess research and clinical skills that allow them to facilitate the translation of new discoveries are in short supply.

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A base budget of $35.0 billion in FY 2018 would allow NIH to accelerate progress in all areas of research with the potential to transform our understanding of human health and disease. This funding level could support approximately 2,000 new R01 grants for investigator-initiated research, a major step in reversing the 22 percent loss of research capacity NIH experienced from FY 2003 to 2015 due to budget cuts, sequestration, and the failure to keep pace with rising costs. These funds could also enable NIH to accelerate clinical trials for new therapies and take advantage of improvements in technology to further develop novel research methods and techniques. The $500 million already authorized through the 21st Century Cures Act would provide additional support in FY 2018 for research in four areas: cancer, precision medicine, neuroscience, and regenerative medicine. But there are other areas in urgent need of additional resources.

The funding level of $35.0 billion reflects the growth recommended in the bipartisan FY 2017 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill. We encourage Congress to continue the effort to establish a pattern of increases for NIH as there are excellent proposals for outstanding research that cannot be funded under current budget levels.

To enhance the nation’s capacity for biomedical research, and to build on the momentum from the funding increases provided in FY 2016 and through the 21st Century Cures Act, FASEB recommends at least $35.0 billion for NIH in FY 2018.

6 Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is the only federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all scientific fields. Its competitive grants to approximately 375,000

researchers, educators, and students in all 50 states comprise approximately 24 percent of federally spon-sored basic research at U.S. colleges, universities, and other research institutions across the nation.8,9 Moreover, the Foundation’s graduate and postdoctoral fellowships and other educational programs underwrite the training of thousands of young scientists and engineers, ensuring the growth of a technical and scientific workforce capable of leading the world in the dynamic industries of the future.

In the biological sciences, NSF supports areas of research that are not funded by any other federal agency or other entity. NSF also plays a crucial role in supporting basic research through shared research resources, major equipment, and instrumentation programs. These resources include telescopes, informatics and cyberinfrastructure support, and research collections, including living stock centers. Whole fields of scientific endeavor would not be possible without the funding and logistical support that NSF provides for these facilities and materials.

Fundamental discoveries in the sciences made possible by NSF profoundly contribute to our understanding of our world. Countless breakthroughs have been supported by the Foundation, including the work of over 200 Nobel Prize winning scientists.10 These scientific advances have also led to a panoply of practical applications. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), smartphone touch screens, and the Google search algorithm are among the transformative innovations that are based on NSF-funded basic research. Recent examples of important NSF funded research in the biological sciences include:

■■ Enzyme in stingrays sheds light on human kidney function: Studying a diverse array of organisms allows scientists to address a broad range of important biological questions with important implications for human health. The regulation of blood pH, or acidity, is crucial for normal physiological function. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have discovered

8 https://www.nsf.gov/about9 https://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2017/pdf/05_fy2017.pdf10 https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=100683

that a particular enzyme, a proton pump called VHA, acts to regulate blood pH in stingrays. Because the same enzyme is found in all animals, including humans, this finding may shed light on the mechanisms underlying pH-related illnesses such as diabetic ketoacidosis and kidney stones. Moreover, unlike human kidney cells, stingray gill cells can be readily cultured and manipulated in the laboratory.11,12

■■ Understanding antibody targeting of Ebola: Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California have generated a high-resolution view of how certain newly developed drugs bind to the Ebola virus. Using a technique called cryo-electron microscopy, the researchers were able to see exactly how these drugs physically interact with two key virus proteins. By visualizing these interactions at the molecular level, this research sheds light on how the virus proteins function and also provides a roadmap for the development of new pharmaceuticals that might target different parts of these proteins and be more effective treatments for Ebola.13

■■ New brain-imaging technology: Biologists use specialized imaging technology to visualize brain activity in mice and other species. However, complex neurological process often involve multiple areas of the brain, and standard technologies only allow for the viewing of small sections of the brain at high resolution. Now, an interdisciplinary team of researchers, including both biologists and engineers, at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina have built enhanced microscopes that can image much larger brain areas, providing a wider field of view. By studying these larger areas of brain activity in real time, scientists will be able to more deeply understand complex neurological processes.14

11 https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/proton-pump-found-regulate-blood-ph-stingrays

12 http://ajpcell.physiology.org/content/311/2/C34013 http://www.scripps.edu/news/press/2016/20160808saphire_ward.html14 https://news.ncsu.edu/2016/06/tool-improves-brain-neuron-

imaging-2016/

Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018 7

■■ Studying environmental factors related to the spread of Zika: Zika continues to be a serious health threat throughout the world. One crucial gap in our understanding of Zika is the complex set of environmental factors that lead to the emergence and spread of the mosquitoes that transmit this virus and other pathogens. Scientists funded by the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease program, a collaborative program between NSF, NIH, and USDA, have begun to study these factors, including temperature, humidity, and social conditions in affected areas. In concert with the development of new therapeutics, this research will inform public health measures that will curtail the spread of tropical scourges.15

New Scientific Opportunities Require Additional Resources

Our economy and quality of life are dependent upon our scientific and engineering prowess. We need to be at the forefront of research so that we can lead the world

15 https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=137712

in innovation and harness the technologies of the future. The breadth and diversity of NSF’s portfolio enables the Foundation to capitalize on emerging research, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and undertake bold, new scientific directions. However, despite its position as a cornerstone of America’s basic research enterprise, the budget for NSF has not grown relative to increased research costs, diminishing its ability to keep our nation at the cutting edge of science and train the next generation of scientists and engineers.

The federal government must renew its commitment to support fundamental, discovery-based science.16 Providing NSF with a budget of $8.0 billion (approximately $500 million above currently appropriated funding) would put the agency on this course and allow the Foundation to award approximately 600 additional research grants, enabling our nation’s researchers to seize upon new scientific opportunities.

FASEB recommends a budget of at least $8.0 billion in FY 2018 for NSF as a first step towards predictable, sustained growth for our nation’s basic research enterprise.

16 http://www.amacad.org/pdfs/InnovationAmericanImperativeCalltoAction.pdf

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8 Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018

VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL AND PROSTHETIC RESEARCH PROGRAM

Veterans Affairs Medical and Prosthetic Research Program

Providing America’s veterans with the highest quality care is an obligation and a promise that was made to those who have made great sacrifices to the nation through their military service. The Department

of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical and Prosthetic Research Program improves the lives of veterans through innovations in basic, translational, clinical, health services, and rehabili-tation research. Although VA research primarily focuses on health issues that affect veterans, the entire nation benefits from discoveries supported by the Medical and Prosthetic Research Program. The VA’s collaboration with university partners, non-profit organizations, and private industry is a model for the development of innovative research to advance health care and prevention strategies.

The research program also enables the VA to recruit and retain a cadre of outstanding physician scientists to care for our nation’s veterans. More than 70 percent of VA researchers are also clinicians who treat patients, allowing discoveries to move quickly from the lab to the clinic. Almost 80 percent of VA investigators surveyed reported that the research program was a factor in their decision to work at the VA17.

Researchers funded by the VA developed advanced prosthetics that restored limb functions in paralyzed indi-viduals, improved understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, and pioneered the use of new surgical techniques yielding better outcomes for patients. To better understand suicide risk factors, the VA research program also established a nationwide system to track data related to veterans who attempt to take their own lives. A VA clinical trial on treating coronary artery disease led to a significant reduction in the use of unnecessary angioplasty, savings hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Other VA research efforts determined that individuals with rheumatoid arthritis can be treated as effectively with older, inexpensive drugs rather than treat-ments costing tens of thousands of dollars. State-of-the-art prosthetics—including systems that activate residual or paralyzed nerves, muscles, and limbs—have been created by partnerships between biotechnology companies, the VA, and the Department of Defense. The VA also studied strat-egies to improve treatments for substance use disorders that are common among veterans returning from combat.

17 Abt Associates. Final Report: Evaluation of the VA Medical Research Program, Bethesda, MD, September 30, 2012.

Recent examples of VA funded research include:

■■ Ultrasound treatment for osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis afflicts approximately 30 million Americans, causing joint pain and stiffness. Clinical researchers in Salt Lake City, San Diego, and Dallas are piloting a new therapy using ultrasound to promote regeneration of lost cartilage in arthritis patients. By bombarding nearby tissue with high frequency sound waves, the technique stimulates the migration of cartilage precursor cells into the affected area to promote regeneration. If effective, this technology could usher in a new era of non-invasive arthritis therapy.18

■■ Genetics of PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is experienced by millions of people each year, taking a particularly high toll on our veterans19. Researchers at the Durham VA and Duke University are applying the tools of genomics to understand the genetic underpinnings of PTSD. By examining the genomes of PTSD sufferers, scientists have identified a handful of genes that may be involved in the disorder. In addition to genomic screens already undertaken, this line of research will be further bolstered by the data collected as part of the Million Veterans Program (MVP). Understanding more about the genes that underlie PTSD and other psychiatric illnesses is a first step towards the development of new therapies for these conditions.20

■■ Mouse model for Gulf War Illness: Approximately 25 percent of the 700,000 veterans who served in the Persian Gulf during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm continue to suffer from a suite of health problems termed Gulf War Illness (GWI). To try and understand the causes and progression of this disease, scientists at the Tampa VA and the Roskamp Institute have developed an experimental system exposing laboratory mice to a set of chemicals implicated in GWI. Preliminary results are encouraging, and these studies may be a first step toward a treatment for this complex and poorly understood syndrome.21

18 http://www.research.va.gov/currents/0916-5.cfm19 http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/basics/how-common-is-

ptsd.asp20 http://www.research.va.gov/currents/0616-1.cfm21 http://www.research.va.gov/currents/1115-6.cfm

Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018 9

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VA

■■ Biomarkers for pressure ulcers in spinal cord injury patients: The debilitating effects of paralysis following a spinal cord injury (SCI) are many, including pressure ulcers. These sores, caused by prolonged pressure on the skin, form quickly and can lead to great discomfort and serious complications. Researchers at the Pittsburgh VA and the University of Pittsburgh have now identified molecules present in the blood and urine of SCI patients that may be associated with the development of pressure ulcers. In principle, these results suggest that with a blood and urine test, doctors may be able to predict which SCI patients are most at risk for developing ulcers and intervene before onset of these injuries.22

Demands for Additional Research to Improve Care and Services Exceed Available Funding

The VA Medical and Prosthetic Research Program will need a budget of $713 million (an increase of $38 million) in FY 2018 in order to maintain purchasing power, support research on conditions common among service members returning from recent conflicts, and address the chronic care needs of the aging veteran population. In addition, there are several areas of VA research that remain critically under-funded including post-deployment mental health issues, substance abuse among veterans, and the long-term effects of exposure to hazardous materials. For example, in 2011, the Institute of Medicine recommended that the VA initiate a study of military personnel deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Qatar who may have been exposed to high levels of airborne particulate matter from burn pits.

The VA is also experiencing rising demand for research solutions to address conditions that affect the veteran population. More than 300,000 VA patients have sought care for major depressive disorder, among the most widespread of all mental health challenges. The number of veterans requesting prosthetics, sensory aids, and related services has increased by more than 70 percent since 2000. According to VA estimates, nearly a million veterans may have severe vision-related impairments including blast related brain injuries that can be followed by blurred vision and light sensitivity. Type 2 diabetes affects nearly a quarter of the VA patient population. Research studies have documented a higher risk of overdose deaths among those receiving high dosages of opioids, raising newfound concern about the 77 percent growth (from 2002 to 2012) in the prevalence of opiates prescribed to veterans. In 2017, the VA projects that approximately 218,000 veterans will be diagnosed with dementia, an increase of more than 40,000 cases compared to 2008. Acute ischemic stroke hospi-talizes 6,500 veterans annually.

22 http://www.research.va.gov/currents/0516-1.cfm

A significant infusion of funds is also required to ensure that the VA can continue to support the Million Veterans Program (MVP) without reducing resources available for other critical VA research areas. The MVP is a multi-year effort to collect genetic samples and general health infor-mation from a diverse group of veterans to understand how genes affect health in order to improve care. In FY 2016, the VA rebalanced its existing portfolio and reduced ongoing commitments to designated research areas including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer research in order to invest additional dollars in the MVP. The MVP has enrolled nearly half a million volunteers to date. Data are currently available to researchers who have begun studies of post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and Gulf War Illness. The VA has also begun an effort to sequence the genomes of up to 100,000 MVP volunteers to provide more detailed genetic analysis of veterans who suffer from depression and pain to determine molecular changes in the brain that cause or increase the risk for these conditions. This research offers hope for improving diagnosis and developing more effective drugs based on genetic characteristics of veterans who continue to be impacted by the lingering effects of war.

FASEB recommends at least $713 million for the VA Medical and Prosthetic Research Program in FY 2018 to maintain current service levels, sustain the MVP, and support emerging research areas that lack sufficient funding.

10 Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RESEARCH PROGRAMS

United States Department of Agriculture Research Programs

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds research through an external, competitive grant program, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), and a program

administered by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). AFRI currently funds approximately 500 research grants at colleges, universities, and other research institutions across the country. In tandem, as part of a long-standing national network to enhance and disseminate agricultural research, ARS supports more than 2,000 researchers at 90 locations throughout the country, and it provides unique facilities and resources that serve the entire agri-cultural sciences community.23,24

USDA has helped keep the United States at the fore-front in agricultural technology and innovation through its research programs in plant breeding, genetics, molecular biology, agricultural economics, and other disciplines, as well as its long-standing education and extension efforts. AFRI provides rigorous, competitive merit-reviewed agricultural research to further the fron-tiers of knowledge and complement the efforts of ARS and other units within the agency. Recent breakthroughs enabled by AFRI and ARS funding include the appli-cation of genomic data to breed heartier barley crops, the engineering of insect-resistant poplar trees that are better suited for use as biofuel feedstocks, enhanced milk production in Holstein cattle, and the development of a better vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease.25,26

Additional examples of promising AFRI and ARS funded research include:

■■ Norovirus and related food-borne illness research: Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States and it leads to millions of cases of food poisoning across the world each year.27 An

23 https://nifa.usda.gov/afri-2014-synopsis-data24 https://www.ars.usda.gov/about-ars/25 https://nifa.usda.gov/resource/2015-impacts-report26 https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/np/arsimpacts/arsimpactsintro/27 https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/worldwide.html

interdisciplinary team of USDA-supported researchers has launched a coordinated effort to reduce the burden of norovirus and other food-borne pathogens. Led by scientists at North Carolina State University, this effort encompasses research and educational initiatives aimed at improving detection of food-borne viruses, predicting and preventing outbreaks, and disseminating best practices to the private sector to safeguard public health.28

■■ Cheap, portable sensors for the detection of food-borne pathogens: One of the difficulties in the detection of food-borne pathogens has been that current screening methods require extensive equipment and expertise. To address this problem, researchers at Auburn University and the University of Georgia have developed new biosensors that detect pathogens on fruits and vegetables with high sensitivity and specificity at a low cost. Though still in the development phase, this technology could enable the rapid and efficient screening of whole produce shipments for disease-causing microbes.29

■■ New method for detecting lipid biomarkers: The presence of specific classes of fats in the bloodstream can be used to predict a patient’s risk for developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other syndromes. However, distinguishing between these compounds, and thus those that indicate specific disease risks, has proved challenging due to their chemical similarity. However, scientists at the ARS Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, ND have developed a new type of mass spectrometry that allows the researchers to distinguish and quantify these different fatty acid molecules in samples of human blood plasma. This new method holds the potential for more accurate identification of biomarkers associated with several different diseases.30

28 https://norocore.ncsu.edu/about/overview/29 https://nifa.usda.gov/blog/researchers-use-nifa-grant-develop-rapid-

food-safety-test30 https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publications-at-this-

location/publication/?seqNo115=330736

Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018 11

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RESEARCH PROGRAMS

USDA

■■ Genetic clues to the establishment of the gut microbiome: In recent years, new technologies have greatly expanded our understanding of the vast and diverse population of microbes that live within and all around us—the microbiome. It has been become clear that the microbes that inhabit our digestive system play vital roles in numerous biological processes, and that perturbations of the gut microbiome are implicated in a range of gastrointestinal and other disorders. Researchers at the Pennsylvania State University have discovered how a particular gene affects the way in which microbes colonize the gut. This finding underscores how complex interactions must occur between our own cells and the microbiome, and it provides insights into how healthy microbial populations are established and maintained.31

Robust Support for Agricultural Research Needed to Address Great Challenges

Recent agricultural crises such as the drought in Cali-fornia, pollinator collapse, citrus greening, and the emer-gence of antibiotic resistant microbes have highlighted the need to address critical vulnerabilities in our agricultural system. The 2014–2015 outbreak of avian influenza led to the destruction of nearly 50 million chickens and turkeys and incurred billions of dollars in losses to the economy.32 Outbreaks of this kind also jeopardize human health directly because new strains of influenza can be spread from live-stock to humans.33

The interdisciplinary research portfolio of USDA brings cutting-edge science to bear on complex agricultural chal-lenges.34 Greater investments in agricultural research are needed to address global food demand, sustainability, and

31 http://www.nature.com/articles/srep3396932 http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/15/bird-flu-2/33 https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/34 https://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=onehealth

to keep the United States at the forefront of innovation in agricultural science.35 The AFRI program was created in 2008 specifically to fund research that would address such key areas as plant and animal health and production, food safety and nutrition, renewable energy and environmental management, agricultural technology, and agricultural economics.36 However, to date the program has only been funded at half of its total authorization level. ARS, despite its important contributions to agricultural science and the critical shared resources it provides to the agricultural sciences community, has seen its budget decline by more than $100 million in real terms since 2001.

To address critical needs in agricultural science, AFRI should be funded at its full authorization level of $700 million ($350 million above current appropriations), which would support approximately 500 additional research grants. We also recommend a budget of $1.24 billion for ARS ($100 million above current appropriations) to begin to rebuild and expand the in-house research capacity at USDA.

FASEB recommends a minimum of $700 million for AFRI and $1.24 billion for ARS in FY 2018. These funding levels represent a first step toward a much-needed, long-term commitment to increase research in agricultural science.

35 https://www.nap.edu/catalog/18652/spurring-innovation-in-food-and-agriculture-a-review-of-the

36 https://nifa.usda.gov/program/agriculture-and-food-research-initiative-afri

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Department of Energy Office of Science

The Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE SC) is the single largest funder of basic physical sciences research in the nation, awarding competitive, merit-based grants to researchers at

universities and research institutions across the country. Researchers funded by DOE SC have made seminal contributions to science across a wide range of disciplines, from particle physics to biochemistry, leading to 115 Nobel Prizes.37 The Office also has a long and distinguished history of innovation. A multitude of inventions and tech-nologies that have transformed our lives can be traced back to DOE research, including nuclear energy, radiocarbon dating, superconductors, and lithium-ion batteries.38

This capacity for discovery comes in large part from DOE SC National Laboratories that house state-of-the-art scientific instrumentation and computing facilities that no single academic or industrial institution could construct or manage on its own. These include high-intensity x-ray light sources, particle accelerators, and supercomputers, all of which are among the most sophisticated tools in modern science. The laboratory facilities provide researchers with unique equipment that allows them to expand the frontiers of knowledge and translate discoveries into new inventions that drive the economy and improve our quality of life. In all, more than 31,000 scientists and engineers from academic institutions and private companies use the DOE labs to advance research and development.39

Recent advances in diverse areas including genome sequencing, nanotechnology, energy storage, and green energy can be attributed to research funded and enabled by DOE SC. Other examples of ongoing DOE SC funded research include:

■■ Discovery of instigators of plant growth: A chemical compound called xylan is a critical component of plant cell walls that gives plants both strength and flexibility, and it is a major component of wood and grain. Using biochemical methods,

37 http://science.energy.gov/about/honors-and-awards/doe-nobel-laureates/

38 https://www.osti.gov/accomplishments/insights.html39 http://science.energy.gov/~/media/budget/pdf/sc-budget-request-to-

congress/fy-2017/FY_2017_SC_Congressional_Overview.pdf

researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have discovered two key enzymes that allow plants to synthesize xylan. This insight into how the structural molecule xylan is produced in plants has implications for the further development of biofuels and the invention and manipulation of new biomaterials.40

■■ New technology for measuring arterial health: The buildup of plaque on artery walls, called atherosclerosis, greatly increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke. Engineers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a sensor device that measures changes in blood pressure in the brachial artery in the upper arm in such a way as to understand the health of the arterial lining. Similar to a blood-pressure cuff, the information collected by this non-invasive device may allow doctors to gauge arterial health and the risk of vascular disease. The technology is currently being tested and refined in a clinical setting, and it has been licensed to a start-up company.41

■■ Crystallography sheds light on gene editing mechanisms: The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology allows scientists to make very specific, targeted changes in the genomes of organisms. This has revolutionized research in the biological sciences and has tremendous potential for the development of new therapeutics. To realize this potential, however, we need a deeper understanding of precisely how the CRISPR system works at the molecular level. Using the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, researchers from the University of California Berkeley examined the way in which Cas proteins bind to DNA. The insights from this study may lead to improvements in gene-editing technology.42

40 http://science.energy.gov/ber/highlights/2016/ber-2016-06-i/41 http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2016/05/19/got-plaque/42 http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2015/10/22/it-takes-a-thief/

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF SCIENCE

Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018 13

DOEDEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF SCIENCE

■■ Plant-fungal symbioses and drought tolerance: Tree roots interact with numerous species of fungi in symbiotic relationships that help both plant and fungus gather nutrients and cope with changing environmental conditions. An international team of researchers, including scientists at the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research have sequenced the genome and studied the gene expression profile of one of the most common fungal symbionts of trees, a species called Cenococcum geophilum. Among the insights gained from this study, the researchers discovered molecular clues as to how the fungus helps tree roots resist desiccation. This discovery may help in the production of more drought-resistant crops and feedstocks.43

43 http://jgi.doe.gov/cenococcum-help-trees-tolerate-drought/

Additional Funding Necessary to Maintain American Leadership in the Sciences

America’s leadership in the physical and biological sciences is in large part due to the robust support that has been afforded to DOE SC. Additional support for DOE SC in the years ahead is necessary to maintain facilities, invest in new instrumentation and equipment, and build new scientific infrastructure at the National Laboratories. The number of users of the labs has grown by nearly 20 percent in the last five years; additional funds will be needed in the years ahead to keep up with the demand at the laboratories. Moreover, large scientific infrastructure projects require an extended horizon for planning and construction, which in turn require substantial long-term funding commitments.

An investment of $5.8 billion (approximately $450 million above currently appropriated funding) in DOE SC would allow DOE SC to make critical investments in its laboratories and user facilities. This recommendation is consistent with the growth trajectory proposed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in its efforts to reauthorize DOE SC.44

FASEB recommends a budget of at least $5.8 billion for DOE SC in FY 2018. This increase represents a commitment to the critical research supported by the Department and would bolster the capacity of our National Laboratories and user facilities.

44 https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/2012/text/es?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22s.+2012%22%5D%7D&r=1#toc-idEA45A6B2C16D4BC2ADCDB9CB1E974962

MOLECULAR STRUCTURES OF HIV PROTEINS ASCERTAINED USING CRYSTALLOGRAPHY AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES BY MARIA VOIGT AND DAVID S. GOODSELL: A FASEB BIOART 2016 WINNING IMAGE

14 Federal Funding for Biomedical and Related Life Sciences Research FY 2018

FASEB Leadership

President Hudson H. Freeze, PhDProfessor of GlycobiologyDirector, Human Genetics ProgramSanford Children’s Health Research CenterSanford-Burnham-Prebys Medical Discovery InstituteLa Jolla, California

President-Elect and Immediate Past President for Science PolicyThomas O. Baldwin, PhDProfessor of BiochemistryUniversity of CaliforniaRiverside, California

Immediate Past President Parker B. Antin, PhDAssociate Dean for ResearchCollege of Agriculture and Life SciencesProfessor of Cellular and Molecular MedicineUniversity of ArizonaTucson, Arizona

In addition, FASEB thanks its member societies’ executive officers and public affairs staff for their contributions to this report and the discussions that shaped it.

Representing 30 associations and their 125,000 members.

FASEB Member Societies

The American Physiological Society

American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

American Society for Investigative Pathology

American Society for Nutrition

The American Association of Immunologists

American Association of Anatomists

The Protein Society

Society for Developmental Biology

American Peptide Society

The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities

The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

The American Society for Clinical Investigation

Society for the Study of Reproduction

The Teratology Society

Endocrine Society

The American Society of Human Genetics

International Society for Computational Biology

American College of Sports Medicine

Biomedical Engineering Society

Genetics Society of America

American Federation for Medical Research

The Histochemical Society

Society for Pediatric Research

Society for Glycobiology

Association for Molecular Pathology

Society for Redox Biology and Medicine

Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine

American Aging Association

U. S. Human Proteome Organization

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