Nih

• Congress rejected Trump administration's $18 billion NIH budget cut proposal, providing stability for 2026 grantees at institutions like University of Wisconsin-Madison. • Delays in grant reviews and dispersal have stalled projects, hiring, and caused anxiety, with NIH months behind schedule as of March 26, 2026. • Vice Chancellor Dorota Brzezinska noted core funding protection but ongoing uncertainty impacts lab operations and future awards before September 30 deadline.

• An NIH-funded mouse study shows chronic colitis induces long-lasting epigenetic changes in gut stem cells, boosting AP-1 transcription factor activity and tumor growth potential. • Researchers analyzed over 52,000 cells, finding damage memories persist more than 100 days after inflammation ends, heritable across new cells. • The findings from Broad Institute scientists explain how sustained inflammation elevates colorectal cancer risk through dynamic epigenome alterations.

• The National Institutes of Health announced a five-year, $450 million research initiative on March 21 to develop new antibiotics and diagnostic tools for antimicrobial-resistant infections. • The program will fund 75 research projects across 40 institutions, focusing on drug-resistant pathogens including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). • Antimicrobial resistance causes an estimated 35,000 deaths annually in the United States, with the CDC warning of a potential 'silent pandemic' without intervention.

• Federal data reveals the National Institutes of Health has lost about 4400 employees, representing 20% of its workforce, during President Donald Trump's second term due to cuts in staff and research funding. • Former NIH scientists warn the exodus could lead to fewer biomedical breakthroughs, weaker responses to disease outbreaks, and diminished U.S. public health crisis management. • KFF Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan discussed the brain drain on WAMU’s Health Hub on March 18, 2026, with departing D.C.-area workers citing tumult as a key factor for early quits or retirements.

• A STAT national survey reveals NIH funding interruptions are causing layoffs, lab closures, and driving early-career scientists away from research careers due to federal budget and priority changes. • Harvard researcher Josiemer Mattei had her diabetes prevention trial in Puerto Rico terminated in May 2025 when the administration cut over $2.8 billion in grants across the university, forcing her to scramble to relocate the study to avoid losing patients and data. • The NIH remains committed to fully spending its 2026 budget but lags significantly behind prior years in grant awards and disbursements, with researchers reporting taking 95% pay cuts to avoid staff layoffs.

• Trump 2.0 policies terminated or overhauled HHS advisory committees, including ACIP with all members replaced in January 2026 by RFK Jr., leading to weakened hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. • NIH advisory councils have not met, with the director's committee disbanded for over a year; USPSTF has not met since March 2025. • Senator Murray criticized leadership for prohibiting NIH grant processes; new ACIP includes controversial figures like an Alzheimer's patient from the withdrawn aducanumab trial.

• Both Republicans and Democrats signaled strong opposition to cutting National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in the 2027 budget request expected within two weeks, following President Trump's failed 40 percent cut request for the prior year. • Last month Congress approved a $415 million increase for the NIH, allocating $48.7 billion to the agency for biomedical research, with bipartisan lawmakers encouraging NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya to distribute funding to their districts and projects improving American health. • Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro stated lawmakers would "continue to reject cuts to NIH research, because what you do is life-saving," underscoring commitment to maintaining research support.