All articles tagged with #nih
Jay Bhattacharya, the NIH director, was named acting head of the CDC—the fourth leader in a year—raising concerns that his close ties to RFK Jr. could push a vaccine-skeptic agenda and consolidate control over U.S. health policy as both agencies trim grants and reshape policy.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the NIH, will serve as acting director of the CDC until a permanent appointee is named, as part of a White House leadership shake-up at HHS; experts warn that one person leading both agencies could complicate public health amid funding cuts and staff turnover at the CDC.
Emails show four NIAID staffers were ordered to remove the words “biodefense” and “pandemic preparedness” from the institute’s site, a move experts say could hamper future infectious-disease readiness amid a broader NIH reorganization and workforce cuts; the change signals a deprioritization of these traditional research pillars, potentially weakening the U.S. response to evolving pathogens.
Nature reports that the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will deprioritize biodefense and pandemic preparedness, scrubbing those terms from its pages as it shifts toward basic immunology and other domestic infectious-disease work. About a third of its $6.6 billion budget funds emerging infectious diseases and biodefense, and the move accompanies leadership changes and a review of grant portfolios, raising concerns about readiness for evolving pathogens.
Democrats celebrated a roughly $20 billion increase for the NIH in the law signed by President Trump, but NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plan to redirect a large portion of discretionary funds toward autism research and away from some health-disparity and transgender programs, while shifting more money to red-state institutions by decoupling research and facilities funding and creating a “market for science.” Supporters say the moves aim to improve national health outcomes and address rural needs, but critics warn they could undercut coastal research power and merit-based funding depending on Congress and policy details.
An NIH-funded study of 614 donated brains with known repetitive head impacts shows severe CTE (stages III/IV) is strongly linked to dementia risk (stage IV ~4.5x higher); milder CTE (stages I-II) shows no association with dementia, mood changes, or functional decline, helping clarify CTE's role in neurodegeneration.
NIH faces a potential freeze on new grants as 13 advisory councils may have no voting members by year-end 2026, since council approval is required for funding; replacements are slow and rosters show no new members since September, though some terms can be extended, the overall risk to grant funding remains.
A group of former NIH scientists and administrators have resigned in protest, citing political interference, censorship, and undermining of scientific integrity by the current administration, which they believe threatens public health, scientific progress, and democratic freedoms.
The NIH is reviewing and deciding on numerous previously rejected or shelved grant applications following court agreements, which aim to address delays caused by political restrictions, particularly on diversity, equity, and inclusion research. This process is part of ongoing legal battles over federal research funding, with some grants being restored and others not renewed due to shifting priorities, raising concerns about the impact on public health research and scientists' careers.
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya announced that DEI-related grants restored after court rulings may not be renewed once they come up for renewal, as they no longer align with NIH priorities, signaling a shift away from DEI-focused research funding amidst ongoing legal and political debates.
Walter Koroshetz, director of the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, is leaving his position after his reappointment request was denied, contributing to leadership instability across nearly half of NIH divisions.
Scientists from Scripps Research and the Allen Institute, supported by a $14.2 million NIH grant, are launching a project to map the body's 'hidden sixth sense'—interoception—by creating a comprehensive atlas of the neural pathways that monitor internal organs, aiming to advance understanding of health and disease.
Jenna Norton, a federal employee at NIH, speaks out against the government shutdown and potential layoffs, highlighting the damage already done to public services and research, and urging Congress to assert its constitutional authority to protect government functions and transparency.
The NIH has disbanded the advisory committee NExTRAC, which provided guidance on ethical and scientific issues in biotechnology, raising concerns about the future of open discussions on scientific ethics and community engagement in research.
Sarah Stanley, a UC Berkeley researcher, criticizes the NIH's decision to halt her TB research, arguing that the work involves standard, safe techniques that are crucial for developing treatments and that the broad classification of her work as 'dangerous' is misleading and could hinder important medical progress.