Weekly Advocacy News Roundup
News
More Money Pledged for NIH but Questions Remain
November 8, 2015 | The Hill
Despite bipartisan support for increased NIH funding, advocates continue to push for multi-year funding commitments for NIH. The 21st Century Cures bill, which passed the House of Representatives in July, provides multi-year mandatory funding for NIH, but it is unclear if the Senate version of the bill will contain these mandatory funds.
- Learn more about how neuroscience research is funded by NIH at SfN.org.
Canadian Government Scientists ‘Unmuzzled’
November 8, 2015 | The Scientist
Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lessened some hurdles that scientists previously faced when attempting to speak with members of the media and the public. Previous policies restricted government scientists’ communications, but will now be able to “speak freely” about their work.
- Find out about neuroscience-related advocacy in Canada at SfN.org.
Uncertainty for UK Science Ahead of Giant Spending Review
November 11, 2015 | Nature News
The Conservative government will announce its first spending review on November 25. The goal of the spending review is to reduce government spending by $30 billion by 2020, which is leading to concerns that research spending will be decreased or stay flat.
- Read about global advocacy initiatives for neuroscience funding at SfN.org.
Data Check: How U.S. Budget Deal Turns $30 Billion Into $3 Billion
November 6, 2015 | Science Insider
The Obama administration and the Republican-led Congress struck a surprise deal late last month to prevent the U.S. government from defaulting on its loans and funding operations through the fall of 2017. However, by some calculations, the boost to overall discretionary federal spending is only $3 billion, not even keeping up with the rate of inflation.
- Learn more about the public funding of neuroscience at SfN.org.
Articles of Interest
How We’ve Succeeded in Breaching the Blood-Brain Barrier at Last
November 11, 2015 | Popular Science
For the first time, researchers have made a drug that can cross the blood-brain barrier, using a new technique to blast anti-tumor medication into the brain without damaging the barrier. Using targeted ultrasound, researchers were able to loosen the junctions between cells in the blood vessels of the brain enabling the drug to penetrate to the brain and access the tumor in the patient.
- Learn more about the blood brain barrier at BrainFacts.org.
Breakthrough Prize for Illuminating the Brain’s Secret Code
November 8, 2015 | Scientific American
Karl Deisseroth and Ed Boyden won a Breakthrough Prize for their role in inventing optogenetics, the new set of techniques that use genetic modification of cells so they can be manipulated with light. These types of studies allow researchers to firmly establish a cause-and-effect relationship between electrical activity in specific neural circuits and various aspects of behavior and cognition.
- Watch optogenetics pioneer Ed Boyden show how his technique works in the brain at BrainFacts.org.
Opinion
New labs ‘lying idle’ due to science budget mismatch, MPs warn
November 9, 2015 | Times Higher Education
Some members of British Parliament have voiced concern that laboratory equipment is lying idle because the government has failed to match scientific capital spending with enough operational funding. A House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on the science budget, released this week, indicated an underuse of major facilities.
- Read about global advocacy initiatives for neuroscience funding at SfN.org.
Typical scientists tend to choose less risky research over time, study suggests
November 9, 2015 | Inside Science
A study released this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates that, as a field of scientific research matures, the scientists in that field take fewer and fewer risks in their research, slowing down the rate of progress. Part of the problem lies in the funding and tenures system in universities that tend to reward research that is less risky and more certain of a positive outcome.
- Learn more about the public funding of neuroscience at SfN.org.
