The Importance of Research

The Importance of Research, our topic today, is always timely and always necessary. As a member of the College of Science, you may be asked something like: What exactly is research for and is it worth my tax dollars? And why don’t we have a cure for a specific disease? You can answer with something true and snappy. Research helps you! Every medicine you, your family or friends have ever taken, every therapy you have had for a disorder comes from research. Everything. And research will cure all those thousands of disorders you or your loved ones may be grappling with, where there is not yet a therapy.
 
You can go further if you like and explain that all the technology you use, the energy that powers these, every new type of transportation, every new strategy to heal our beautiful planet, all comes from research. So yes, your tax dollars that support research are totally worth it and repay you directly and personally. And moreover, research funding is only a mini part of your tax dollars: the NIH budget this year is $48 billion, the US military budget is $850 billion.
 
The last question (why is it so hard to find a cure for some diseases?) needs a longer answer, maybe a short story. One time, at the New York Yacht Club, I opened a fundraiser for cancer therapies, and had to decide how best to reach prospective donors, not trained in science. I had five minutes. I started with a slide that said simply BRAIN CANCER. The next slide said BRAIN and I explained the millions of research hours it took to understand this term. All the way back to the discovery of cells that build the brain, and the trillions of connections between cells that empower the brain. My next slide said CANCER and I again explained the millions of hours of research it had taken to understand that cancer arises when cells reproduce unchecked, when cells lose their identities and connections, to invade and disrupt brain function. Last I came back to BRAIN CANCER and explained why the wonderful advances in treating some kinds of cancer are not yet as effective for aggressive, hidden brain tumors. There is much work going on, but still so much research (and funding) needed for cures.
 
This week, there is the added misunderstanding by government officials as to the actual costs of doing lifesaving, valuable research and how bookkeeping around these costs is often organized. Specifically, and please feel free to explain this also: research money is divided into two essential parts: the first part is called direct costs, it buys the test tubes, chemicals, cultured cells and centrifuges for an experiment; the second part is called indirect costs and this pays for the room where you do the work, lights so you can see what you are doing, electricity to run the centrifuge, and water to rinse the test tubes; as one cannot simply perform scientific experiments out in a parking lot. The monies should be considered summated, making up the whole, true cost of performing the research. Take away either part and you cannot do your experiment. Neither part is an opportunity to save a buck.
 
Please look at Northeastern University FAQ for guidance on this and other points related to the political landscape. It’s encouraging that thoughtful members of the government, university groups and professional societies are trying to explain to officials how research costs actually work, and that the law is holding all as previously for the moment. You are of course, welcome to share your insights about science funding with your elected representatives. We will keep calm, plan strategically and await clarity. Thank you for your ongoing contributions to our brilliant research in the Northeastern University College of Science. Thank you for continuing to build the Good Power of Science.