Dr. Matthew Memoli, a specialist in infectious diseases that is the new acting director of the NIH, on a photo of 2014.
The corresponding press
A new memo of NIH -ancient director Matthew Memoli, obtained by Forbes, clarifies what can and cannot be done with regard to clinical tests, purchasing, research publications and public performances.
WKen President Donald Trump Last week a “break” ordered about healthcare communication, the National Institutes of Health descended in chaos, with researchers both inside and outside the government agency unclear about what was allowed. Now a Monday memo of the acting director of the NIH has given some clarity in the midst of uncertainty: the nih, the crown jewel of American scientific research, would continue to perform its primary functions, including clinical tests and life -saving medical research.
In the document of two pages, NIH-ancient director Matthew Memoli repeated the Ministry of Health and Human Services “a break” about communication and public performances by the office staff. But the memo states that clinical tests are underway at the NIH and the funded institutions, laboratories can buy “necessary supplies” for research that dates from before the inauguration of Trump and meetings with regard to research before that date can also continue .
The memo is unclear about what will happen with hanging subsidies. New subsidy assessments, including difficult to plan study sections, had stopped earlier. The document only says that “additional guidance” will be provided later this week.
The memo was first reported by Status. NIH did not respond to a request for comment.
In the aftermath of the cancellations of the nih of meetings and subsidies from last week, researchers were worried about their ability to continue to make scientific breakthroughs. And as Forbes reported last week, scientists feared that crucial medical investigation would be stuck. Although Memoli’s Missive has tempered those feelings a bit, NIH staff employees remain frustrated and anxious.
“I think the intention of such a chaotic freezing of communication was to scare us, to demoralize us and put science back in an attempt to make us look bad,” is a NIH employee that has been sitting at the desk for several years, told Forbes. “We are certainly not perfect, but FFS, our task is literally to enable research to save lives, what whole?”
“There has never been political in the nih,” said another source in the nih, and added, “when politics suddenly becomes involved, the fear is largely away.”
The temporary freezing of meetings is mainly crucial for cancer research, with the National Cancer Institute a budget of $ 7 billion of the total $ 47 billion of the NIH. More generally, NIH and both a financial kickstarter for research and a validator of essential scientific studies serves. According to Kazi Helal, a PitchBook analyst, especially for Biotech startups, every delay can dampen progress, according to Kazi Helal.
“The recent suspension of the NIH subsidy will probably lead [a] Decrease in university spinouts within a few months, “he e -mailed ForbesAdding that the uncertainty could hesitate to fill daring capitalists to fill [the] GAP financing. “
A stop when buying supplies, for the first time reported by CNN and confirmed by Forbes, Targeted concern about what would happen with clinical studies in the NIH’s on-campus Hospital, the Clinical Trial Center, if they no longer had test tubes or reagents.
Memoli’s Memo clarified that current clinical studies can continue and patients can travel for investigations, but that “no tenders or contracting may be made for new studies, new equipment or research services that are not related to the studies that started before January 20, 2025. “He added that” meetings or communication with regard to research that was already underway before January 20, 2025, can continue if it does not mean a public release of information, “can also make a progress.
NIH researchers can continue to submit their papers and abstracts for studies that started before the inauguration of Trump, but according to the memo, that research cannot make available on a large scale for Peer Review.
Alex Knapp has contributed reporting.
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