An ominous report in this month’s Nature “Funding crisis hits U.S. aging research” will impact more than the otherwise byzantine world of basic scientific research. It will have a profound structural impact on our ability to meet the growing health demands of our aging population. Paradoxically, this is precisely at a moment when the fiscal and economic demands coming from the increase in longevity – America’s 65+ population will rise to about 20% by 2030, up from 13% today, fueling a plethora of unfunded liabilities in the health care system.
According to researcher Karen Duff, “we are cutting back on the very research that we need to keep our aging population healthy.” Citing the reason she does not even try for funding at The National Institute of Aging (NIA), Dr. Duff laments, “I don’t put any grants into NIA now because their funding line is so low it’s almost impossible to get funded.” It’s true for age-related health research generally, including cancer, cardiovascular disease or Alzheimer’s. As underscored by NIA Director, Richard Hodes, “if we are less able to fund research – or are perceived to be less able – that will actually drive young and emerging investigators to fields other than aging. It would be catastrophic at a time when such research is critically important.”
The catastrophe to which Hodes refers is not just the health impact on the exploding segment of American citizens who will benefit from longevity – we’ve added 3 decades to life in the 20th century--and it is exactly those decades when we are most at risk for disease. The catastrophe is also the fiscal and economic impact of what it will cost to take care of those suffering from age-related illnesses.
The real shame is the social and economic lost opportunity – if we were to add better health to longevity could there be a whole new segment of Americans working and producing longer? It is this vision of a working America into the new middle age – 55 – 75 – which only holds promise if we can get serious about mitigating and ultimately curing the age-related health risks so common today. Funding basic research is essential and it’s a great investment in a healthy economic future. It certainly will not happen if we “turn off” those promising young scientists seeking grants for enquiry, discovery and innovation.
Michael W. Hodin, Ph.D., is Managing Director, The High Lantern Group, Adjunct Senior Fellow at The Council on Foreign Relations, and Executive Director of The Global Coalition on Aging.
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