Parkinson’s advocacy groups call for ‘robustly funded, collaborative NIH’
US lawmakers urged to support major driver of global biomedical research
A trio of prominent Parkinson’s disease advocacy groups are calling on the U.S. federal government to provide strong funding and support for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — a federal agency that is a major driver of biomedical research around the world.
The American Parkinson Disease Association, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and The Parkinson’s Foundation are asking lawmakers “to ensure that a robustly funded, collaborative NIH — the essential engine of medical progress and hope for millions of Americans — is a cornerstone of the nation’s budget today and in the future,” according to a press release from the three groups.
Parkinson’s organizations: Any restructuring of NIH needs to be inclusive
In Parkinson’s disease, certain cells in the brain gradually sicken and die off, causing problems with brain signaling and leading to motor symptoms such as slowed movements, rigidity, tremor, and balance problems, as well as nonmotor symptoms.
The NIH is the single largest funder of biomedical and behavioral research in the world — it distributes grants to scientists at all stages of their careers, helps to sponsor clinical trials, and more. For decades, the organization has been funded with bipartisan support from lawmakers. NIH-supported research has helped pave the way for major advances in treatment for a plethora of diseases, and has “brought us to the brink of transformative breakthroughs in Parkinson’s care,” the groups said.
In particular, the groups note that NIH-funded work has led to major advances in scientific understanding of the brain and neurological diseases, which could set the stage to develop new Parkinson’s treatments.
“It is imperative that we preserve and build on this progress by increasing investment in our national scientific enterprise through NIH on behalf of the 1 million Americans living with Parkinson’s, their families, and the millions more whose lives are touched by neurodegenerative disease,” the groups said. “This is the future our country needs and deserves.”
The groups note they are not necessarily against reorganizing or restructuring the NIH, but stressed that any changes to the NIH need to be guided by rigorous scientific principles, with input from patients and families, to facilitate the best possible outcomes for everyone involved.
It is imperative that we preserve and build on this progress by increasing investment in our national scientific enterprise through NIH on behalf of the 1 million Americans living with Parkinson’s, their families and the millions more whose lives are touched by neurodegenerative diseas.
The groups also noted that their own work has demonstrated the power of partnerships between private enterprises and government-funded institutes as a way to deliver tangible benefits for people affected by diseases. Collectively, these three groups have funded more than $3 billion in research initiatives over the last several decades.
“We and our nationwide network of advocates will support every effort to keep this critical work moving forward through the appropriations process and in any consideration of a reorganization of NIH,” the groups concluded. “We trust our nation’s leaders to join us in this vital mission.”
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