[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6063189,"mediaKeyId","3270229-b58ea73e2853b44ffdedeb26440f7295","parentId",3270229,"title","Mother’s testimony and experts tell senators pediatric clinical trials and cancer research need protection","audioSeconds",699,"startMs",3543000,"endMs",4242000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3270229-b58ea73e2853b44ffdedeb26440f7295&start=3543&end=4242","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3270229-b58ea73e2853b44ffdedeb26440f7295/thumbnail_3543000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6063189/Mothers-testimony-and-experts-tell-senators-pediatric-clinical-trials-and-cancer-research-need-protection","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6063189-2fe80c47bdf9f261b4c6e897419aa26c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771125711&Signature=aeUXm2kNV7qleqofH6BWdWXnIw39Ip0hB0Hpo3aBCV7CS2D52Hhg~YuNum6IpW1rx-rTf6k0UFyBjO6O~UBbjNgCs9ofKqOB95zpBTbI7KhGUl~iX-EaJJdIixxbSXOiwVLEJiAJ-nux5Ol5MYHXtGFCS0ym3SAKh07U1TYRfsg7YWJ9uwQQLWkhbXRWi6TMPl5UbALD-gzs8EffbJiuAKUDRJYiRYbli0JkC9PQ4WaCQ7tY3gX2WvjdxHCRFLM~7xFmTY-pXeSTRofXyZYo51NAHlQrnQxv1xCV6M4GQt2mobljVwGLO~E8QdcLXJe6jhYbHNepUmOkG2ccULmE-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations","date","2025-04-30T00:00:00Z","article","Emily Stinson, a patient advocate and co‑founder of the Stinson Foundation, testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee that her daughter Charlie’s access to clinical trials at Seattle Children’s Hospital produced a lifesaving outcome.

“Charlie was diagnosed with stage 4 germ cell cancer in November of 2022 when she was just 3 years old,” Stinson told the committee. She described a 5‑inch tumor that had spread to Charlie’s liver, subsequent high‑dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplants, a relapse and a second course of treatment. Stinson said Charlie is again cancer free and “started preschool in February and is back to the joyful chaos of 5‑year‑old life.” She attributed access to experimental treatments and fertility‑preservation measures to the clinical‑trial infrastructure funded and enabled in part by federal research programs.

Witnesses and committee members repeatedly connected Stinson’s account to broader funding actions. Vice Chair Murray and others said the administration had terminated dozens or hundreds of grants and was withholding or proposing deep cuts; Murray said cancer research grants worth more than $137 million across 18 states had been terminated and described delays or cancellations affecting trials. In response to Murray’s question about the effect of canceled trials, Stinson said: “It would be devastating. There's no other option often than a clinical trial. How can you look at these families and say, we're taking away the only option to save your child.”

Clinical researchers described how funding and administrative capacity support pediatric trials. Dr. Barry Sleckman said NCI‑supported clinical trial networks and institutional support enable enrollment, monitoring and patient safety; he noted that without institutional capacity to run trials, families must travel or have no options. Dr. Sudip Parikh and other witnesses emphasized the role of federal funding across the research pipeline — from basic discovery through translational trials — and warned that hiring freezes, canceled grants and staff departures at NIH and FDA reduce the pace at which trials open and patients can enroll.

Senators from both parties cited the STAR Act (a bipartisan law aimed at pediatric cancer research) and other initiatives as examples of prior congressional action to expand pediatric research capacity. Several members said they would seek to protect pediatric‑focused research and long‑running cohort studies; the committee left the record open and solicited written statements from institutions and patient groups.

Stinson and witnesses urged prompt action to restore agency staffing and resume awarding appropriated funds, calling such steps essential to preserving access to clinical trials that, in many cases, can be the only available treatment option for children with rare or advanced cancers.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Full Committee Hearing: Biomedical Research: Keeping America’s Edge in Innovation","oneSentenceSummary","At the Appropriations hearing, Emily Stinson and multiple scientific witnesses described how federal research funding and clinical trials saved her daughter’s life and said freezes or cancellations of grants and trials would be devastating to children and families.","taxTitle","Appropriations: Senate Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1986,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6063194,"Scientists and institution leaders say proposed 15% indirect‑cost cap would cripple small labs and slow clinical trials",333,4036000,4369000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3270229-b58ea73e2853b44ffdedeb26440f7295&start=4036&end=4369","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3270229-b58ea73e2853b44ffdedeb26440f7295/thumbnail_4036000.jpg","/articles/6063194/Scientists-and-institution-leaders-say-proposed-15-indirectcost-cap-would-cripple-small-labs-and-slow-clinical-trials","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6063194-7deb398f67c2b24251239877fa807216/orig.mp4?Expires=1771125711&Signature=QpSvMN3eXLiRLMwXz5QBBqAtXDy4RyRLC1Ftg6FLrg~r5dOGqYgmBu0GxTDaBCCiLkF0kzeWvekKyU7R4iLf0~t3bHYo1XZQQedFfDIFFPSBMZaMi6j~7cGNopHq8lMH9sqjwBkUs21rKr967BQN1O9aOoQS3utJo8IP-5Ni7vN729oHTm8IDBGuqc~t8QhgoKHa32ox1CC5a1PAOUiPQ1v-F9uUAuHQIzfkpdHRTCagZ4XQj-gsg0sNhizuLkDg53NU8bixt6YaDXYCif3dlStdRoybBGK5tzbojRb-rSwZIAZYNeVkefaqM4JhADCCx89RvfoDS280HmrhwbG5YQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Senate Appropriations hearing on biomedical research, institutional leaders and committee members warned that a proposed across‑the‑board 15% cap on indirect costs would threaten the ability of many research institutions to host grants and run clinical trials.

Dr. Herman Haller, president of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, described indirect costs — often called facilities and administrative costs — as the funds that pay for lab space, compliance staff, microscopes, security and shared services that make grant-funded experiments and trials possible. “Independent research institutions like mine, without a large endowment and without revenues from tuition, we are dependent on the present system of indirect cost reimbursement,” Haller said. He added that a 15% cap “endangers our work and the work of all the other independent research institutions, and we will not be able to participate in lifesaving research and biomedical breakthroughs.”

Senator John Kennedy pressed witnesses on comparisons to private foundations that set lower overhead limits. He noted Gates Foundation grants typically limit overhead to about 10% and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to about 12% and asked why universities “cannot live on 15% overhead.” Dr. Sudip Parikh responded that such comparisons are “apples to oranges” because foundations and federal accounting treat many costs differently; Parikh stressed that federal reimbursement supports legally required compliance, shared instrumentation, and institutional support that foundations may treat as direct costs or exclude.

Dr. Barry Sleckman of the University of Alabama at Birmingham said indirect‑cost reductions would directly affect the ability to open and safely run clinical trials: “If the indirect cost drops, we will no longer be able to support the level of staff needed to safely open and run clinical trials,” he said. He explained that direct trial funds typically cover the experimental drug and patient care costs, but not oversight groups such as institutional review boards and legal offices needed to run trials in compliance with federal requirements.

Committee members and witnesses emphasized that many independent or less‑endowed research institutions — including regional biomedical labs and IDeA‑funded centers — rely on indirect cost reimbursement to maintain shared facilities and hire compliance staff, and that a sudden cap would disproportionately harm rural and smaller programs. Dr. Haller said his laboratory has used indirect cost reimbursement to retain faculty, train undergraduates and support shared core facilities; he warned a cap “will not be able to participate in what we have been heard here in lifesaving research.”

Senators and witnesses also discussed oversight and audit questions and said misuse of federal funds at individual universities (several senators referenced past audits of large institutions) should be addressed through targeted enforcement rather than a blanket cap that would reduce capacity across the system. Witnesses urged the committee to pursue reforms that increase transparency and efficiency while preserving the funding streams that sustain compliance, shared infrastructure and trial oversight at institutions that lack large endowments.

The committee did not adopt any policy during the hearing; senators said they would continue oversight and consider legislative and appropriations responses to address both abuses and the systemic needs of the research enterprise.","Witnesses and senators told the Appropriations Committee that an across‑the‑board 15% cap on indirect (facilities & administrative) costs would cause layoffs, force research institutions to withdraw from projects and make it harder to run clinical trials, especially at smaller or non‑endowed labs.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6063199,"Senators warn administration actions are jeopardizing NIH, FDA and U.S. biomedical research",5157,765000,5922000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3270229-b58ea73e2853b44ffdedeb26440f7295&start=765&end=5922","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3270229-b58ea73e2853b44ffdedeb26440f7295/thumbnail_765000.jpg","/articles/6063199/Senators-warn-administration-actions-are-jeopardizing-NIH-FDA-and-US-biomedical-research","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6063199-7c9760e972ea66d093b33bf47981c681/orig.mp4?Expires=1771125711&Signature=Z12ip9WufhBv~H5sFYyp0TufS0irsakWqr4G~8jC9BMB3YrG6oiOVqb9~X~TqTOyrlBTlnoEo09M4Nj1pH5JsJoEZiKQwPZtwWniWc7xfeIqH0i0W0Qwa9NX72JFToxnLa~OF1eNSDo2rJppv5HQOFE92pSH0vzhQNyHK4UDZYx~KUOu58NSaqaFa4FurzlD5Ft0KBMd43oXO5DP-F3M7t4x0MOM5Bh9MGF0Z8HroO6ncojeyXNsAmFEpgzluAA-B3m-4BiuY0Q58Q8IoY2Ux5k1dVNdQTcjmCOeVEkis-So8g-iP7LKZMN2r0iAihdaTrsHYnAuv7ovA4Y0V~JCUg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Appropriations Committee convened a hearing on biomedical research where senators from both parties and leading scientists warned that recent administration actions and proposed budget cuts threaten the United States' leadership in biomedical research.

The hearing, chaired by Senator Collins and led in opening by Vice Chair Senator Patty Murray, focused on “Biomedical Research: Keeping America’s Edge in Innovation.” Collins said the hearing reflects “the high priority that this committee places on biomedical research.” Murray told the committee she was “deeply alarmed that President Trump has taken a wrecking ball to our biomedical research enterprise,” listing grant cancellations, staff layoffs and a proposed steep reduction in NIH funding as immediate threats.

The concern centered on two near-term disruptions: abrupt personnel actions that removed thousands of scientists and administrators from agencies that distribute and regulate research funding, and delays or cancellations in grant awards. Dr. Sudip Parikh, chief executive officer of Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, warned of “impoundment by default” if appropriated FY2025 funds are not obligated quickly, saying the current pace of grant administration risks letting congressionally approved funds go unused. Parikh added: “If those dollar numbers, anywhere from 20 to 45% are real, I want to be really clear. We're no longer in a race with China on biomedical research. We will have lost that race.”

Witnesses and senators provided details on the fallout. Murray said the administration had “ax[ed] 800 grants over a billion dollars in research” and had blocked “$2,000,000,000 in grant funding,” and described staff reductions that she said included thousands of NIH employees. Multiple witnesses confirmed that peer-review panels were canceled or delayed and that the loss of grant administrators is slowing awards. Dr. Barry Sleckman, director of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, and Dr. Herman Haller of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory both described how reduced or delayed awards impede opening and running clinical trials and can force institutions to reduce staff who support trial oversight.

Patient testimony underscored the human stakes. Emily Stinson told senators that her daughter Charlie, diagnosed at 3 with stage 4 germ cell cancer, received care and clinical-trial access at Seattle Children’s that “drastically improved her quality of life” and led to Charlie being cancer-free. Stinson said clinical trials had preserved Charlie’s fertility and hearing and that pausing or canceling such trials would be “devastating.”

Committee members repeatedly pressed witnesses on whether NIH could obligate the $47 billion appropriated for FY2025. Dr. Parikh said the money can be spent “if the will is there,” but he said the current rate of awards is insufficient and that agency staffing and process stability are required to avoid impoundment. Senators cited specific numbers from the record and witnesses: the committee-approved FY2025 NIH appropriation (referred to in testimony as about $47 billion), reported administration proposals to slash NIH funding (witnesses echoed a leaked “passback” suggesting cuts ranging up to 44%), and reported staff departures at NIH and FDA in the low thousands.

Lawmakers and witnesses also warned of longer-term consequences. Multiple witnesses described accelerating recruitment by foreign institutions and companies (notably in China and Europe) of U.S.-trained scientists who face uncertain career prospects. Dr. Parikh said early-career scientist recruitment is collapsing in some programs and that “we are gonna lose talent in a way that we've never seen before.” Witnesses urged the committee to prioritize stability — particularly timely obligation of already-appropriated funds — and to press the administration to restore staff and clear guidance so peer review and grants can proceed.

The committee kept the record open for additional written submissions and directed that letters and testimony would be included in the hearing record by a stated deadline. Chair Collins closed the hearing after thanking witnesses and noting the committee’s intent to follow up on specific funding and staffing questions. The committee also announced the record would remain open until Friday, May 9 at 6 p.m. for written questions and materials.

Going forward, senators on both sides urged quick, concrete steps to get agency processes back to normal so approved funding is used, clinical trials continue, and early-career scientists are not lost to other fields or foreign institutions.","At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, senators and witnesses warned that recent grant cancellations, staff departures and proposed budget cuts are disrupting grant awards, clinical trials and the research workforce that sustain U.S. biomedical leadership.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Mother’s testimony and experts tell senators pediatric clinical trials and cancer research need protection

Scientists and institution leaders say proposed 15% indirect‑cost cap would cripple small labs and slow clinical trials

Senators warn administration actions are jeopardizing NIH, FDA and U.S. biomedical research