SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Some local researchers are feeling the impact of their National Institutes of Health grants.
"Right now, we are experiencing a lot of chaos,” Dr. Davey Smith of UC San Diego Health said.
Smith specializes in infectious diseases.
"There's quite a few cuts that have already happened to myself and a few of my colleagues,” Smith said.
The cuts Smith is talking about are to NIH grants.
He told ABC 10News that about 16 clinical trials — which include his for a new vaccine for those with HIV — are being put on pause, which equates to roughly $2.5 million in annual NIH grant funding.
An executive order from President Donald Trump calls for cuts on wasteful spending when it comes to grants and other contracts.
"There has to be a better way to wind down trials if they are expensive, rather than just tossing them out so quickly. There are real safety concerns and patient ethics here," Smith said.
Additionally, ABC News has reported that there've been some research grants canceled by the agency relating to studies involving DEI, LGTBTQ+ issues and gender identity.
"We received a stop work essentially effective immediately with the opportunity to appeal,” Dr. Susan Little of UC San Diego Health said
Little also specializes in infectious diseases.
She told ABC 10News she got a notice that a grant for an HIV-prevention drug study she collaborated with an SDSU researcher was cut roughly two weeks ago.
Little read directly from the notice during the interview.
"This is a quote, 'Research programs based on gender identity are often unscientific, have little identifiable return-on-investment and do nothing to help the advancement of many Americans.' None of that is true,” Little said.
There's a worry about what this means for future researchers.
"I think people who are just getting ready to start their careers are going to have to think long and hard if they want to be physician-scientists if they can rely on funding for those research projects,” Smith said.
ABC 10News reached out to both the NIH and the White House for comment. The NIH sent ABC 10News a list of canceled contracts.
In a statement to ABC 10News, White House spokesman Kush Desai said, “In recent years, Americans have lost confidence in the medical apparatus that let us down during the COVID pandemic and oversaw an unprecedented explosion in chronic diseases. The Trump administration is committed to restoring transparency and accountability in our public health institutions and refocusing research spending to better align with the American people’s interests.”
