With the fiscal year drawing to a close, grant funding from NCI is picking up speed, offering a glimmer of hope to cancer researchers who are beginning to feel cautiously optimistic about the road ahead.
Following firm bipartisan pushback against the White House’s proposed budget cuts for FY2026, both the House and Senate have reaffirmed their support for biomedical research.
At last week’s annual symposium marking the 50th anniversary of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center first securing its designation, former NCI directors Ned Sharpless and Kim Rathmell expressed optimism about the future of cancer research.
In the podcast, Paul Goldberg, editor and publisher of The Cancer Letter, and Claire Marie Porter, reporter, reflected on the former directors’ sentiments.
“It's very interesting to hear this and very reassuring, but also not really that surprising, because Congress, both the House and Senate, are poised to either give NIH a small increase or maybe keep things at flat funding, so that's not the 40% cut that the administration wanted,” Paul said.
The Republican party is to thank for saving NIH’s budget, said Paul.
“I think we've felt a great sense of urgency, at the same time a lack of agency, since the upheaval began at NIH,” Claire said.
“Its not easy, things aren’t great,” Paul said. “What stays, what goes, it’s not really clear. If you were to look at the damage report, there is damage. But it’s not fatal, it’s a bunch of little flesh wounds.”
And at the moment, the money is flowing, Paul said.
Stories mentioned in this podcast include:
AACR Cancer Progress Report makes the case for federal investment in cancer research
Paul Thurman: Urgently needed: A funding mechanism to insulate cancer research from political whims
FDA cracks down on direct-to-consumer ads, including the Hims & Hers Superbowl blitz
A transcript of this episode is available: https://cancerletter.com/podcastc/20250924-nci/