Critical NIH research continues after ‘confusion’ over Trump team directives

Despite concerns about the future of research in the National Health Institutes, current clinical trials can continue as scheduled, said the agency’s interim director to staff scientists in an email on Monday.

The clarification followed what the employees called “chaos” on Wednesday when the Trump administration “stopped” all the communications of federal health agencies and suspended all the government’s trips. The directive left NIH staff members with unanswered questions about their work and even if they could continue to take care of their patients.

The interim director, Dr. Matthew Mempoli, an expert in infectious diseases and researcher for flu vaccines in the NIH, wrote in the email, whose copy was obtained by NBC News, who sought to clarify “confusion about the scope of the scope of the scope of the scope of the pause. “

“Clinical trials in institutions financed by NIH or NIH are ongoing,” he wrote. “Research participants can continue to participate in clinical trials at the NIH clinical center and NIH financed facilities.”

He also clarified that researchers could continue to spend money on supplies and pay research participants to travel to the NiH clinical center in Bethesda, Maryland, to receive treatment. The NIH performs more than a thousand clinical trials every year.

A staff scientist who was not authorized to speak publicly said that email was “good news” that seemed to “put things back to normal”, as less for clinical work.

However, financing for any new project is still waiting. It is not clear if the NIH will continue to approve money for research subsidies through its review groups, called study sections.

Without subsidies, scientists cannot begin any new research on conditions, from asthma and pediatric cancer to Covid and Ebola. The NIH grants more than 60,000 subsidies every year, supporting at least 300,000 researchers.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford University who publicly criticized how NIH handled the Covid pandemic, has been used by President Donald Trump to be the next director of NIH. A Senate audience has not been scheduled on whether Bhattacharya confirm.

Meanwhile, the interim director Meoli He said he hopes that he will come from additional guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services this week. The general pause in external communications is expected to last until Saturday.



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