The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Hermann Haller is the president of MDI Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor. He is a doctor and researcher who specializes in kidney regeneration.
This is a pivotal moment in the history of American science. A generation of young innovators stands ready to lead the next global wave of biomedical breakthroughs — poised to cure disease, extend lives, and fuel a thriving bioscience economy.
But they are on the brink of becoming the lost generation of American science. Incomprehensibly, this nation is moving away from its century-long history of public support for scientific research and education, a commitment that’s made it the planet’s unmatched leader in medicine and biomedical research.
From mass-producing penicillin to pioneering cutting-edge cancer immunotherapies, American science has shaped the modern world’s extraordinary advances in health and longevity. Such breakthroughs were no accident. They were driven by far-sighted federal investments — in gifted thinkers, bold ideas, and the infrastructure that allows science to flourish.
To quote U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, as she opened a recent Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the future of U.S. leadership in biomedical innovation: “There is no investment that pays greater dividends to American families than our investment in this research, which can lead to life saving and life enhancing discoveries.”
Collins chairs the committee, and she is a long-time champion for research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF). As a doctor, researcher and president of the MDI Biological Laboratory, I was honored by her invitation to testify at that hearing, because our mission is at the heart of that national conversation.
MDI Bio Lab is uncovering new ways to extend healthy lifespans, and new approaches for tackling health challenges such as ALS, macular degeneration or chronic kidney disease.
But our mission encompasses other, equally vital goals — namely to inspire and support the creative young thinkers who will keep the U.S. and Maine in the vanguard of biomedical discovery.
For decades, Congress has worked on a bipartisan basis to ensure that the development of that next generation continues. One NIH initiative, the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) program, was specifically designed to expand biomedical research and training capacity in 23 rural states (plus Puerto Rico) that historically received fewer federal research dollars.
In 2001, IDeA made its first grant for a Maine network, led by MDI Bio Lab, that’s grown to include 17 colleges and research centers that nurture the scientific curiosity of talented college students and early-career faculty, giving them access to world-class mentors and biotech tools.
These aren’t abstract investments. They fund cutting-edge science and real-world research experiences for students from the University of Maine at Presque Isle and Southern Maine Community College to the University of New England and more, spanning the state.
With this support, more than 50 young researchers have launched laboratories here, and over 3,000 college students have trained with state-of-the-art biotechnology and data systems. Ninety percent have gone on to further STEM education and careers.
But in May, the White House submitted a budget proposal that would slash NIH funding by nearly 40 percent and the NSF by more than 50 percent.
Here in Maine, cuts, delays and uncertainty about federal research funding are a disheartening preview of what I see ahead: a generation of young people whose scientific ambitions are curbed not by a lack of talent, but by a lack of vision.
Already, stalled federal funding forced MDI Bio Lab to tell 40 college students who eagerly competed for paid summer fellowships on our campus that they should consider different plans. One of our new faculty members, who is innovating novel approaches to neurodegeneration, saw expected federal payments disappear, interrupting her research and plans to staff up her lab.
This is being repeated around the state and the country.
In the meantime, we and our partner institutions are rushing to cobble together resources to keep Maine’s biomedical training and research programs alive, including those summer fellowships. State lawmakers are considering a helpful measure, LD 1643, that would create a $3 million Maine Life Sciences Innovation Center to foster local growth in the high-paying sector.
But proposed federal cuts will still have devastating results. Even with a smaller footprint — and lower impact — our programs will not be sustainable long term.
And that will force excruciating decisions about opportunities offered, or denied, to talented young people who want to dedicate their lives to curing cancer, treating diseases like Alzheimer’s, or undoing the risks posed by the PFAS “forever” chemicals that have contaminated Maine’s water supplies.
Sadly, some have told me their zeal for science has been dampened, and they are reconsidering their decision to pursue scientific careers. Others say they will seek better options abroad, while foreign governments, long envious of our research prowess, are rolling out the welcome mat.
This isn’t just a local tragedy — it’s a national crisis in the making.
We cannot allow short-term budget decisions to cause long-term damage to an entire generation of innovators. These young people represent the future of human health, and of our country’s leadership of the bioscience revolution.
They can indeed make America great, if we let them.
