NIH funding for research underlying new cancer therapies

Abstract

Contemporary discovery and development of cancer drugs are based on the model that investments in basic biomedical science will provide insights that can be translated into new cures. In the USA, basic research is primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 1 Moses 3rd, H Matheson DH Cairns-Smith S George BP Palisch C Dorsey ER The anatomy of medical research: US and international comparisons. JAMA. 2015; 313: 174-189 Crossref PubMed Scopus (294) Google Scholar which allocates half of its research budget to basic science, 2 National Institutes of HealthLauer M. NIH's commitment to basic science. https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2016/03/25/nihs-commitment-to-basic-science/Date: 2016 Date accessed: January 25, 2020 Google Scholar with smaller amounts contributed by philanthropy, academics, or industry. 1 Moses 3rd, H Matheson DH Cairns-Smith S George BP Palisch C Dorsey ER The anatomy of medical research: US and international comparisons. JAMA. 2015; 313: 174-189 Crossref PubMed Scopus (294) Google Scholar Basic science is formally defined as the “systematic study directed toward fuller knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and observable facts without specific application towards processes or products in mind”. 3 National Science FoundationDefinitions of research and development: an annotated compilation of official sources. https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/randdef/Date: 2018 Date accessed: January 25, 2020 Google Scholar However, science is often use-inspired, 4 Stokes DE Pasteur's quadrant: basic science and technological innovation. Brookings Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA1997 Google Scholar and much of the NIH funding for basic research comes from institutes with specific health missions. 2 National Institutes of HealthLauer M. NIH's commitment to basic science. https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2016/03/25/nihs-commitment-to-basic-science/Date: 2016 Date accessed: January 25, 2020 Google Scholar , 4 Stokes DE Pasteur's quadrant: basic science and technological innovation. Brookings Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA1997 Google Scholar Is there a direct link between NIH funding for basic science and the emergence of new cancer therapies?