May 6, 2004

The Honorable Christopher Bond
Chairman
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on
VA-HUD Independent Agencies
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Mr. Chairman:

The American Physiological Society (APS) wishes to express its thanks for your past support for life sciences and biomedical research at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). However, as the your committee begins deliberations on fiscal year (FY) 2005 allocations for these programs, the APS would like to offer its recommendations for continued support of these programs, which provide funding for research that spans the scientific spectrum from basic sciences like biology and mathematics to the translation of basic findings to human disease. Programs at NSF, VA, and NASA support our nation's ability to be a world leader in science and technology. These programs are essential for the continued vitality of biomedical research and represent good investments that will provide the scientific basis for improving technology and health care in our country and throughout the world.

The APS is a professional association dedicated to advancing research and education in the physiological sciences. The Society was founded in 1887 and today has more than 10,000 members. Physiology is the study of dynamic processes within the body and is the foundation of modern medical science.

National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is one of our country's greatest resources for providing support for the promotion and advancement of science, math, engineering research and education.

NSF support of physiological research allows our members to undertake unique research in the hopes of applying what they learn towards the betterment of humankind. NSF funds the physiological research that supports everything from
understanding of ecological systems to veterinary medicine and agriculture, and provides the basic information on which more health oriented research depends.

NSF funding has supported many distinguished researchers, including six of this year's Nobel Prize winners. Basic research conducted by two of this year's Nobel Laureates have made significant contributions to improving health care:

  • Peter Agre of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Roderick MacKinnon of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at The Rockefeller University in New York won the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Drs. Agre and MacKinnon investigated how molecules pass through cell walls via membrane channels. The exchange of water, ions and other molecules are crucial for cell nutrition and neuronal function, and their discoveries have afforded us a fundamental molecular understanding of organ function; and
  • Paul C. Lauterbur of the University of Illinois at Urbana won the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Dr. Lauterbur's discoveries in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have revolutionized modern medical care by allowing non-invasive three-dimensional imaging of vital organs without the use of potentially harmful radiation.

The APS joins with the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and the Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF) in calling for a renewed commitment to the NSF and respectfully asks Congress to increase the FY 2005 funding level for this agency by 15% over the FY 2004 enacted level.

As America heads into the new millennium, we will need more students literate in math and science to help the United States compete in the world marketplace. The NSF's competitive, peer-reviewed Math and Science Partnership (MSP) strives to achieve this goal by developing scientifically sound initiatives to improve teacher quality, develop challenging curricula, and increase student achievement in mathematics and science.

President Bush's FY 2005 budget calls for phasing out NSF's MSP and establishing a new federal grant administered by the Secretary of Education. In effect, this would limit individual states' discretion to target much-needed funds for local science and mathematics education reforms.

The APS supports the K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education Coalition's recommendation that Congress keep the MSP at the National Science Foundation.

Department of Veterans Affairs

The VA Medical and Prosthetic Research program is a tiny fraction of the overall VA health system, yet provides our nation with tremendous benefits. VA medical and prosthetic research helps attract highly qualified clinicians to practice medicine in VA health-care facilities. This collaboration of cutting edge research and medical care benefits veterans receiving care at VA and ultimately all Americans. In fact, more than 70% of VA investigators are clinicians who treat veterans on a daily basis.

The following are two examples of basic scientific contributions made by VA researchers:

  • VA scientists at the San Diego Healthcare System, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and the University of Alabama, Birmingham, have developed an oral smallpox drug that stops the spread of the disease in mice. While the drug will need additional study before testing in human clinical trials is possible, the breakthrough was named one of the five most promising developments in medical technology for 2002 by Popular Science (Dec. 2002).
  • Dr. Jack Stapleton of the University of Iowa and colleagues have shown that people infected with the HIV and the harmless persistent GB virus C (GBV-C) have longer survival rates compared to HIV patients who are not infected with the GBV-C. Understanding the mechanisms of interaction between GBV-C and HIV may provide insight into the progression of HIV disease.

The APS supports FASEB and the Friends of VA Medical Care and Health Research (FOVA) recommendation that Congress appropriate $460 million for VA research in FY 2005. This represents a $54.4 million or 13% increase over current year funding.

NASA

On January 14th, 2004, President Bush unveiled his new space exploration policy called "A Renewed Spirit of Discovery." This plan calls for completing the International Space Station by 2010, replacing the shuttle with a new crew vehicle and establishing an extended presence on the moon to serve as a launching point for future human space flight missions to far off places, such as Mars.

Research conducted by NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research (OBPR) will be key in making this space exploration policy a reality. Biological research conducted by NASA addresses the impact of microgravity on living organisms and health problems that astronauts may experience during space flight. The knowledge gained from these studies sometimes also has broader implications for human disease as exemplified by the following:

  • The new Brookhaven NASA Space Radiation Laboratory will enable investigators on the ground to perform research using heavy ion radiation similar to that experienced during spaceflight. NASA-funded research has already shown that damage from low-LET radiation and heavy charged particles leads to single and double strand breaks in DNA as well as damage to the associated sugars (known as clustered damage). These errors could lead to mutations or cancer. Use of the Space Radiation Laboratory will provide increased opportunities to study these types of changes in ground based research programs.
  • The structure of bones and muscle deteriorates when subjected to the microgravity conditions in space and the physical inactivity that occurs during spaceflight. NASA-funded research has established that some of these changes are reversible and furthermore, that the changes may be caused by increased expression of a small set of genes. NASA scientists are investigating whether physical activity, can change the expression pattern of these genes. If so, this may provide a reliable way to develop improved countermeasures as a way to stave off adverse impacts of the space environment. Such findings have direct application to ambulatory rehabilitation of hospitalized patients on earth as well.

For FY 2005 APS recommends that competitive peer-reviewed research and training be supported through increased funding to OBPR. To enhance the overall strength of NASA's research program, APS calls on Congress to appropriate the President's requested level of $1.049 billion. This is a 6.4% increase over FY 2004 levels.

We are living in challenging times and our national priorities must reflect these challenges. A strong commitment to science can help keep our nation safe and strong and help us meet future challenges. I urge you to provide the best possible increases for NSF, VA and NASA when these agencies come before your committee for funding decisions.

Sincerely yours,

D. Neil Granger, Ph.D.
President