PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

AAAS CEO testifies in Senate hearing on biomedical innovation

Summary author: Zachary Graber

2025-05-05
(Press-News.org) AAAS CEO, Sudip S. Parikh, testified as a bipartisan witness before the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday, April 30, for a hearing discussing biomedical research in America. Dr. Parikh was joined by three other executives and one patient advocate to express the importance of American support and funding for biomedical research. In Dr. Parikh’s written testimony, he cites the biomedical research ecosystem developed in the United States as the “greatest engine for discovery in the service of health that the world has ever known,” while conceding some shortcomings in execution. However, despite any areas for improvement, he made it clear – including in responses to questions from Members –that recent budget cuts and rumored proposed budgets for 2026 by the current administration raise a number of major concerns that could irreparably damage the nation’s innovation ecosystem and consequently the nation’s health. “The enterprise, which has benefited our society for decades, is resilient, but there is a breaking point — and we are close to reaching it.” He also highlighted the way in which cuts to science funding could make us less competitive on a global stage, namely with China.

 

You can read the written testimony here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/eoeuz219dulpecekeyegv/AExcqOOmCZ4hOOg3K0Co_Lw?rlkey=z7x00p53w0feqw3ysx4sl88ue&st=ouwxhsq4&dl=0 

 

You can watch the full committee hearing here: https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/biomedical-research-keeping-americas-edge-in-innovation

 

You can read the aaas.org story on the testimony here: https://www.aaas.org/news/aaas-ceo-us-crossroads-grave-danger-losing-global-research-leadership

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Phase III trial shows molecular profiling can safely reduce radiation for women with endometrial cancer and optimise treatment for patients at a higher risk patients

2025-05-04
Vienna, Austria – Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer in high-developed countries, most often affecting women after menopause. The majority of women are diagnosed at an early stage, when treatment outcomes are generally favorable.* For women with high-intermediate risk disease, adjuvant radiotherapy — particularly vaginal brachytherapy (a form of internal radiotherapy delivered directly to the vaginal area) — is commonly used after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence. However, patients don’t need it equally, and some may receive more treatment than necessary, exposing ...

New radiotherapy technique aims to protect the heart during lung cancer treatment

2025-05-04
Learning from Every Patient: New Radiotherapy Technique Aims to Protect the Heart During Lung Cancer Treatment Vienna, Austria – A new study presented at ESTRO 2025 introduces the RAPID-RT study, which uses an innovative rapid-learning approach to evaluate the impact of treatment modifications in radiotherapy. Traditional clinical trials are often lengthy and are not representative of real-world patient populations due to complex consent processes and strict eligibility criteria. In contrast, RAPID-RT offers a more inclusive, real-world alternative. Researchers at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, UK, have applied this method in lung cancer patients to assess ...

Five major advances in anal and rectal cancer treatment with radiotherapy

2025-05-03
Vienna, Austria – Rectal cancer is a type of bowel cancer that develops in the last several centimetres of the large intestine, just before the anus. It’s one of the most common cancers in Europe, with over 125,000 people diagnosed annually*. Treatment traditionally involves surgery to remove the tumour—a major operation that can permanently affect sexual function, continence, and quality of life.   While radiotherapy and chemotherapy are already used to shrink tumours before surgery, there is growing momentum behind treatment strategies that avoid surgery ...

SCAI announces Srihari S. Naidu, MD, MSCAI, President for 2025–26

2025-05-03
WASHINGTON— The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) has announced its new leadership for 2025–26, with Srihari S. Naidu, MD, MSCAI, assuming the role of President during SCAI Scientific Sessions 2025, held May 1–3 in Washington, DC. Dr. Naidu is Professor of Medicine at New York Medical College and System Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) National Center of Excellence at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY. A leading interventional cardiologist, he is internationally recognized for his work in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and ...

Turning point in stomach cancer: Early-stage diagnoses now more common

2025-05-03
SAN DIEGO, CA. (MAY 3, 2025) Stomach cancers are increasingly being diagnosed at less advanced, more treatable stages — a shift that marks major progress in detecting one of the deadliest forms of cancer, according to a study to be presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2025. “These trends suggest that advancements in endoscopic imaging, along with more widespread use of upper endoscopy, may be helping doctors find stomach cancer earlier,” said Mohamed Tausif Siddiqui, MD, the study’s ...

Anal cancer rates rising most among older, white and Hispanic women

2025-05-03
SAN DIEGO, CA. (MAY 3, 2025) — Anal cancer has been steadily increasing in the United States, with the biggest jumps among older women, especially white and Hispanic women — a shift that challenges assumptions about high-risk groups and who should be screened, according to a study to be presented today at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2025. “Rates of anal cancer are rising fastest among white and Hispanic women over 65 — groups not traditionally considered high risk,” said lead author Ashley Robinson, MD, a second-year internal medicine resident at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. “While the exact reasons behind ...

Scientists fight Alzheimer’s by helping glial cells process glucose

2025-05-03
Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered that impaired glucose metabolism in glial cells, a type of cell in our nervous system, plays a key role in the degeneration caused by Alzheimer’s disease. Using fruit fly retinas, they showed that promoting glucose metabolism in glial cells with tau protein build-up, like in Alzheimer’s patients, helps relieve inflammation and photoreceptor degeneration. Their findings present an exciting new therapeutic target for treating neurodegenerative conditions.   Alzheimer’s ...

Two-week radiotherapy proven as safe and effective as eight-week course for prostate cancer, after 10-year follow-up in phase III trial

2025-05-02
Two-Week Radiotherapy Proven as Safe and Effective as Eight-Week Course for Prostate Cancer, After 10-Year Follow-Up in Phase III Trial Vienna, Austria — Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men worldwide, accounting for more than 1.4 million new cases each year [1]. For many patients, radiotherapy is a standard treatment option that offers outcomes comparable to surgery, particularly for localised disease [2]. As an outpatient procedure, it allows men to maintain much of their daily ...

Columbia University Fertility Center named #1 by Newsweek

2025-05-02
The Columbia University Fertility Center, which has cared for families and advanced the field of reproductive medicine for over 40 years, was ranked #1 on Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Fertility Clinics for 2025.  The ranking was determined through a nationwide survey of reproductive medicine professionals, performance criteria and success rates, clinic accreditations and certifications, and patient satisfaction. "It is a tremendous honor to be recognized as the top fertility center in the country,” says Zev Williams, MD, PhD, director of the Columbia University Fertility ...

Two prominent Boston Children's Hospital scientists elected to National Academy of Sciences

2025-05-02
The National Academy of Sciences has elected two of Boston Children Hospital's most preeminent scientists to join their ranks - George Daley, MD, PhD, and Jeffrey Holt, PhD.  Established by an Act of Congress signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is committed to furthering science nationally, and to contributing to the international scientific community. Elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research, members of the NAS are charged with providing independent, objective advice to the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Revealing the diversity of olfactory receptors in hagfish and its implications for early vertebrate evolution

Development of an ultrasonic sensor capable of cuffless, non-invasive blood pressure measurement

Longer treatment with medications for opioid use disorder is associated with greater probability of survival

Strategy over morality can help conservation campaigns reduce ivory demand, research shows

Rising temperatures reshape microbial carbon cycling during animal carcass decomposition in water

Achieving ultra-low-power explosive jumps via locust bio-hybrid muscle actuators

Plant-derived phenolic acids revive the power of tetracycline against drug-resistant bacteria

Cooperation: A costly affair in bacterial social behaviour?

Viruses in wastewater: Silent drivers of pollution removal and antibiotic resistance

Sub-iethal water disinfection may accelerate the spread of antibiotic resistance

Three in four new Australian moms struggle with body image

Post-stroke injection protects the brain in preclinical study

Cardiovascular risk score predicts multiple eye diseases

Health: estimated one in ten British adults used or interested in GLP-1 medications for weight loss

Exercise to treat depression yields similar results to therapy

Whooping cough vaccination for pregnant women strengthens babies’ immune system

Dramatic decline in new cases of orphanhood in Uganda driven by HIV treatment and prevention programs

Stopping weight loss drugs linked to weight regain and reversal of heart health markers

Higher intake of food preservatives linked to increased cancer risk

Mass General Brigham–developed cholera vaccine completes phase 1 trial

First experimental validation of a “150-year-old chemical common sense” direct visualization of the molecular structural changes in the ultrafast anthracene [4+4] photocycloaddition reaction

Lack of support for people on weight loss drugs leaves them vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies, say experts

Dogs’ dinners can have greater climate impact than owners’

Are you ready to swap salmon for sprats and sardines?

1.6 million UK adults used weight loss drugs in past year

American College of Cardiology comments on new dietary guidelines for Americans

American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy and Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator partner to advance and commercialize promising rare disease treatments

One in 14 patients having day case surgery have new or worse chronic pain 3 months after their operation

New study highlights link between eviction rates and gun violence

Heatwaves heat up soil but not toxin levels in rice, study finds

[Press-News.org] AAAS CEO testifies in Senate hearing on biomedical innovation
Summary author: Zachary Graber