ROCKVILLE, MD – The Biophysical Society, on behalf of its members in the U.S. and around the world, is alarmed by the ongoing reductions in force (RIFs) and how those reductions will impact the ability of federal research funding agencies to support the missions outlined by Congress. For decades the U.S. has been a world leader in critical and emerging technologies; which has attracted the best and brightest around the world to matriculate and engage in new discoveries, develop critical technologies and advance scientific research. The utilization of RIF initiatives to roll back the federal workforce threatens to have a chilling effect on development of future basic and biomedical researchers, and also jeopardizes the scientific, technological and economic advancements that have made the U.S. a global leader in scientific enterprise.

A team of researchers from the Rice Biotech Launch Pad at Rice University has developed an implantable “cytokine factory” that safely triggers potent immune responses against hard-to-treat cancers, including metastatic melanoma, pancreatic and colorectal tumors.

In the face of ongoing funding disruptions to US foreign assistance programmes, a group of international experts calls for urgent action to ensure the continuation of life-saving interventions and support for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The new Health Policy analysis, published in The Lancet, estimates that 1 million children could become infected with HIV, nearly half a million could die from AIDS by 2030, and 2.8 million children could experience orphanhood in the region without consistent, stable funding for US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programmes.