We recommend seven changes in policy and investment that will ensure that NIH continues to lead in our ever more dynamic and competitive international health enterprise.
discovered in fruit flies, and our under- standing of aging and age-related disorders (stroke, heart disease, and neurodegenera- tive disorders) was transformed by studies of a microscopic worm. Research investigat- ing a chicken virus generated much of the knowledge needed to design treatments for AIDS, and analyses of bacterial immunity to viruses led to the discovery of gene editing, a powerful new tool in biotechnology and medicine. NIH’s continued support of fundamental research remains key to enabling new discoveries that will tame chronic and infectious diseases, cognitive and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, enhance disease prevention and
nutrition, and usher in an age of precision health care and nutrition. NIH-funded research is a major driver of economic development. The biotechnology sector, now generates over $500 billion/year. The competitive advantage of being “first to discover” helps to explain why the U.S. is estimated to account for 60% of the global biotechnology market. U.S. dominance of the pharmaceutical and medical devices markets is heavily dependent on NIH research. Fundamental discoveries made by NIH-funded scientists also drive innovation in non-health fields from agriculture to pollution remediation to materials science and chemistry.
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