Recently a seven-month-old infant named KJ was given a new gene-editing technology called CRISPR. He was being treated for a rare disease that inhibits the body’s ability to break down ammonia. Normally, this disease has a 50% mortality rate among infants. A study of the treatment, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, states that KJ is now “thriving.” This breakthrough technology is just the beginning of translating CRISPR for clinical use.
In 2019-2021, COVID-19 swept across the world. In its wake, at least 7.1 million people died. In response, a new type of vaccine was developed that can be generated quickly and tailored to ever-evolving viruses. Just when the societal temperature of lockdowns and face masks was about to boil over, the widespread distribution of vaccines allowed us to safely see our loved ones again. The treatment is estimated to have saved 14 million lives. It also has the potential to revolutionize the speed with which we can generate life-saving vaccines for the next pandemic.
If you are reading this, you may be old enough to remember polio. It is also caused by a virus. While often mild, in some cases it can attack the central nervous system. When this happens, it leads to muscle paralysis and, in some instances, death. Although it used to be a fact of everyday life, those younger than 60 have likely never known the fear of polio, nor the concept of an “iron lung.” Polio has been with humans for more than 4,000 years. In 1955, Jonas Salk’s laboratory developed a vaccine against it. Forty years later, it was declared eradicated in the Americas.
If you are reading this, you are most likely not old enough to remember a world before antibiotics. In 1928, Scottish physician Alexander Fleming realized that a contamination of mold inhibited cultures of bacteria he was growing. A group of scientists at Oxford University went on to extract and purify the causative compound, which was called penicillin. It took a little while to convince others of its potential, especially because the process of purification was slow, expensive and produced small yields. But eventually, the Oxford team found a big-time buyer. As the prospect of entering WWII became more likely, the U.S. government invested millions of dollars to produce penicillin. On June 6, 1944, the Allied soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy carried courage in their hearts, guns in their hands and vials of penicillin in their medical kits. After the war, antibiotics changed healthcare forever. In the first half of the 20th century, one in every 10 infants in the U.S. died before their first birthday. At the end of the century, that number was one in every 143.
I run a research laboratory at the University of Utah. Inspired by the mystique of the Great Salt Lake, we discovered a new species of roundworm there, representing only the third animal known to survive in its extreme salinity. We also study how the environment affects development through epigenetics. Recently, we found that we could block environmental effects by using a class of drugs with known chemotherapeutic activity.
It’s too early to tell where these discoveries will lead, but we are excited to keep pursuing them. In the process of conducting research, graduate students and postdocs in my lab are trained to think critically and analyze quantitative data. I also teach an undergraduate course on gene expression, and have helped local students get into pharmacy school, medical school and Ph.D. programs.
All of these discoveries and local impacts are a direct result of federally funded science. In addition to life-saving treatments and life-changing technology, every dollar invested in science is estimated to generate $2-3 in economic activity. That’s a return on investment (ROI) for the government of 100-200%. In business, a good ROI is considered 10%.
The past successes of science funding should be a guide to tackle the problems of the future — and there are challenges aplenty. The Centers for Disease Control has documented 70 recent cases of bird flu in humans. In addition to devastating our poultry industry (and egg prices), with a 60% mortality rate, this is a far more terrifying disease than COVID-19. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming more prevalent and we are running out of new antibiotics to fight them. Climate change is causing more extreme weather patterns with lethal consequences. China has become a technological superpower and is vying for global supremacy. The race for AI dominance is becoming the Space Race of our time.
Now hardly seems like the time to slash science funding. Yet, the budget being discussed by Congress proposes an approximately 50% reduction in the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation and NASA. These institutes support the majority of health and basic science in our country. They have done so with bipartisan support for more than 75 years. The proposed cuts are in the name of fiscal austerity. Notwithstanding the ROI previously mentioned, the combined budget of these three agencies is less than 1.5% of the total federal budget. There is no credible rationale for these cuts.
What is the value of science? Ask KJ’s parents. Ask your parent, whose life was saved by a vaccine. Look at your children who didn’t die from a bacterial infection. Ask a student who is awed by the natural world, which motivates them toward a career in healthcare or a STEM field. It should be cherished, it should be celebrated, it should be shouted from the top of the mountains. If you value science, please call your representative and tell them to protect it.