Cyrus Moulton Telegram & Gazette Staff @MoultonCyrus

WORCESTER - Concerned with President Donald J. Trumps proposal to cut National Institutes of Health funding by 22 percent, UMass Medical School officials, researchers and local political leaders gathered Wednesday to discuss the scientific and economic importance of robust NIH funding.

Were deeply concerned with the proposed cuts by the president and the impact it could have on innovation, medical progress, the health and well-being of patients and our local innovation economy, said Michael F. Collins, chancellor of UMass Medical School.

Dr. Collins estimated that the presidents proposal could cost the school between $45 million and $73.5 million annually and cost the local economy from $100 million to $170 million annually. This is a critical time in our country in terms of the future viability of the research and development environment, and its a critical time for our institution and our city, given how important this sector is to our economy.

In his 2018 budget request, Mr. Trump proposed cutting the NIH, the nations preeminent and largest funder of biomedical research, by $7.7 billion from its final budget in 2017.

That has the local scientific community worried, as UMass Medical School currently receives more than $150 million annually from 344 NIH funding awards and nearly $53 million from other federal funding sources. NIH funding is more than half of the nearly $254 million in total research funding the medical school receives from all sources.

This funding has helped lead to the development of lifesaving drugs for cystic fibrosis and supported work by Nobel Prize winner Craig Mello. It has also helped the medical school produce 148 licenses with 109 private companies and file hundreds and hundreds of patents, virtually all of which are attributable to NIH-funded research, according to Dr. Terence R. Flotte, executive deputy chancellor, provost and dean at UMass Medical School.

Also attributable to NIH funding is work by researcher Beth McCormick to improve chemotherapies and develop new anti-inflammatory treatments based on a study of how salmonella causes disease.

All of this was really launched by NIH, Ms. McCormick told the local leaders.

Aside from the scientific advances, the funding is also crucial to the local economy. A 2015 study by United for Medical Research showed that each dollar of NIH funding to Massachusetts institutions has an estimated economic impact of approximately $2.30, meaning UMass Medical Schools NIH-funded research contributes $347,971,099 to the Massachusetts economy.

Scientific research to Massachusetts and Worcester is what citrus growing is to Florida or auto production is to Michigan, said U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester. He noted that Massachusetts ranks first in per-capita research funding from the NIH and second in total NIH funding behind only California.

He called the proposed cuts a threat to this citys and this states ability to thrive in the face of global competition, noting several other countries recent increases in medical research funding.

Dont be fooled into thinking this is just a Boston thing. Worcester does incredibly well, Mr. McGovern continued, noting that the NIH awarded a total of 369 grants worth nearly $165 million to Worcester institutions in 2016.

And city leaders want to ensure that this continues, especially as the city grows. Both Mayor Joseph M. Petty and City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said that Worcester is experiencing a resurgence that they attribute to the citys institutions of higher learning and research community.

If there is anything that has the potential to limit or slow the work youre doing, it limits the ability for this city to grow and to thrive and limits the hope that the people who live in this city and around the world see in the work that youre doing, Mr. Augustus said. Your health and vitality as an institution are inextricably linked to our health and vitality as a city.

As for the likelihood of the proposed cuts being enacted, Mr. McGovern and Dr. Collins both noted that the NIH receives bipartisan support. In fact, Congress recently boosted the 2017 NIH budget by $2 billion despite the Trump administrations proposal for next year.

But local leaders arent taking any chances.

We need to really redouble our resolve, that the values of our nation invest in medical research and continue to bring hope to the human condition, Dr. Collins said. And all of us at UMMS will work with our governmental leaders to advocate for that funding."

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Concern over NIH cuts unites Worcester's medical school, political leaders - Worcester Telegram