Trump administration funding cuts put search for cures for cancer, diabetes at risk, researchers say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Another funding fight is brewing in the nation's Capital. This policy change at the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, would mean less money goes toward the overhead for research projects. Without this money, experts said life-saving medical advances are in jeopardy.

Attorneys General representing 22 democratic-led states sued the Trump administration on Monday.

They're asking a federal judge to temporarily block a change that would cap indirect payments at 15% for universities, medical centers, and other institutions receiving research grants from the NIH. This money often funds things like administrative and facility costs linked to research.

Government data shows that the NIH currently funds 4,400 active projects totaling $2.5 billion in Texas.

An oncologist and NIH-funded T-cell researcher said that without adequate indirect funding, labs will shrink, clinical trials will stall, and life-saving innovations will be lost.

"It's drastic. It leaves a lot of uncertainty," Dr. Cassian Yee said. "It also means that we're trying to spend time training students, training post-docs, and training other physicians and scientists. We're afraid that there will be a generation lost in the type of research we're doing. There will be people who want to enter science and perform basic research or translational research, and they're going to look at this as another obstacle."

The University of Houston estimates they will lose about $10 million if these cuts go through.

In a statement, a university spokesperson said, "Our commitment to advancing scientific discovery and innovation remains steadfast. We will be developing strategies to mitigate the effects and will provide updates to our campus community as we navigate these unprecedented changes. Facilities and administration costs (also termed indirect costs) include resources that support groundbreaking discoveries-- critical infrastructure, equipment and compliance with federal regulations, for example. We must consider the possibility that other federal agencies may adopt similar policies, further compounding the challenges faced by research institutions nationwide."

UH is also a member of The Association of Public and Land Grant Universities.

President Mark Becker released a statement that says, "NIH slashing the reimbursement of research costs will slow and limit medical breakthroughs that cure cancer and address chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Let there be no mistake: this is a direct and massive cut to lifesaving medical research. We urge the administration to reconsider this self-defeating action. At public universities across the country, NIH-funded researchers are working tirelessly toward breakthroughs in treating debilitating diseases and discovering cures to deadly illnesses. Cuts to reimbursement of these costs are cuts to medical research and represent the federal government stepping back from commitments it has made to world-leading researchers. This action will slow advances for millions of patients who desperately need critical breakthroughs and imperil the U.S.'s position as the world leader in biomedical innovation."

A social media post from the NIH says this change will save the federal government $4 billion annually.

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