Medical research
Celebrating NIH and Life-Saving Science During Rally for Medical Research
Posted on by Lawrence Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D.
LabTV: Curious About Drug Resistance of Hepatitis C Virus
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
As long as she can remember, Ashley Matthew wanted to be a medical doctor. She took every opportunity to pursue her dream, including shadowing physicians to learn more about what a career in health care is really like. But, as Matthew explains in today’s LabTV video, she also became attracted to the idea of doing research because of her affinity for solving problems and “figuring things out.”
So, Matthew decided to give biomedical research a try, landing a spot in an undergraduate summer program sponsored by the University of Massachusetts. Ten weeks later, she was convinced that her future in medicine just had to include a research component. That’s why Matthew is now well on her way as an M.D./Ph.D. student at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, where she works in the lab of Celia Schiffer.
Driving Innovation and Creativity with High Risk Research
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
Caption: One of the many faces of NIH-supported innovation, Stanford’s Christina Smolke is exploring how synthetic biology and microbes can be used to produce new drugs. She is a 2012 Pioneer Award winner.
Credit: Linda Cicero/Stanford News Service
High-risk research isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for fearless researchers who envision and develop innovative projects with unconventional approaches that, if successful, may yield great leaps in our understanding of health problems and/or biological mechanisms. It takes nerve and creativity to conceive such projects—and, often, special support to bring them to fruition. And, as the name implies, there is a significant chance of failure.
One Nation in Support of Biomedical Research?
Posted on by Dr. Sally Rockey and Dr. Francis Collins
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Until recently, we’d never have dreamed of mentioning the famous opening line of Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities in the context of U.S. biomedical research. But now those words ring all too true.
The “best of times” reflects the amazing technological advances and unprecedented scientific opportunities that exist right now. We’ve never had a better chance to make rapid progress in preventing, diagnosing, and curing human disease. But the “worst of times” is the other reality: NIH’s ability to support vital research at more than 2,500 universities and organizations across the nation is reeling from a decline in funding that threatens our health, our economy, and our standing as the world leader in biomedical innovation.
